GIFT  OF 


HERE   AND   THERE 
A  LEAF 


BY 
LOUISE  HEYWOOD 

li 


BOSTON 

SHERMAN,  FRENCH  &  COMPANY 
1913 


•     •  , '  •     -    • .  - 

,     •   ' 


m 


COPYRIGHT,  1912 
SHEBMAX,  FRENCH  6»  COMPANY 


i- 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I  No   THOUGHT  FOR   TO-MORROW    .        1 

II  BEARING   THE    CROSS     ....      12 

III     HE  Is  COMING 21 

IV  ENCOURAGEMENT  FOR  THE  POOR   .      28 

V  THAT  IT  MIGHT  BE  FULFILLED    .      35 

VI     BE    PATIENT  Now 40 

VII  OUR  GIRLS  AND  BOYS    ....      43 

VIII  COMMON  SENSE  IN  RELIGION    .      .      55 

IX  OUR   RESPONSIBILITY      ....      66 

X  SETTLE  IT  WITH  JESUS  ....     74 

XI     FAITH  AND  WORKS 79 

XII  NOT  BELIEVING  BECAUSE  NOT  UN- 
DERSTANDING    87 

XIII  No   MIDDLE   WAY 91 

XIV  ARE  WE  GROWING  OLD?    ...     98 
XV     THE  RISEN  CHRIST 106 

XVI  THE  PARTING  OF  THE  WAY  .      .      .111 

XVII  WORDS  OF  CHEER  FOR  THE  AGED  .   115 

XVIII     FAR   FROM   HOME 123 

XIX  THE  GOOD  FIGHT    .                             127 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

XX  WOMAN'S   HIGH   ESTATE    .       .      .    138 

XXI  TIRED    MOTHERS 149 

XXII  DEAR   BABY  RALPH       ....    164 

XXIII  HOME,  SWEET  HOME  .    172 


TAKE  NO  THOUGHT  FOR  TO-MORROW 

We  know  not  one  moment  of  the  future.  We 
may  be  sitting  quietly  in  our  homes,  and  a  flash 
of  lightning,  or  the  sudden  development  of  a 
hidden  disease  may  send  us  without  warning  into 
eternity.  An  accident  on  a  railroad  train  or  on 
an  ocean  steamer,  a  misstep,  a  fire  at  the  dead  of 
night,  a  hundred  calamities  which  are  sending 
others  suddenly  to  their  final  home,  are  as  likely 
to  happen  to  us  as  to  them. 

To-day  we  may  have  all  our  loved  ones  about 
us,  to-morrow  they  may  leave  us  never  to  re- 
turn. To-day  we  may  be  rich,  to-morrow  poor. 
To-day  we  may  be  in  the  exuberance  of  health 
and  strength,  and  to-morrow  be  laid  upon  a  bed 
of  pain  and  weakness.  To-day  we  may  be  strong 
in  the  use  of  all  our  reasoning  faculties,  an  asylum 
may  be  our  home  to-morrow.  Under  the  care  of 
our  Heavenly  Father,  and  in  ourselves  helpless 
as  regards  our  future,  why  take  anxious  thought 
concerning  it?  Whatever  we  can  do  to  make  our 
lives  successful  in  all  things  honorable,  we  are  to 
do.  We  cannot  sit  down  in  idleness  and  expect 
God  to  take  care  of  us  without  any  effort  on  our 
part.  He  has  given  us  our  faculties  and  our 


2  HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

energies,  and  we  are  accountable  for  the  manner 
in  which  we  use  his  gifts ;  but  we  cannot  use  them 
independently  of  him.  We  must  have  his  ap- 
proval, and  his  blessing,  and  after  we  have  done 
our  utmost,  leave  the  result  of  our  efforts  quietly 
and  patiently  with  him. 

There  is  much  happiness  for  us  if  we  will  only 
take  it  day  by  day,  as  God  means  we  should,  and 
not  get  so  bewildered  in  the  fogs  and  mists  of 
life  as  not  to  see  the  beautiful  sunlight  beaming 
all  along  our  path.  Trials  and  disappointments 
must  come,  but  the  more  patient  we  are,  the 
lighter  these  will  be;  and  the  longer  we  live 
the  more  will  they  seem  like  the  insect  which 
lights  upon  us,  and  which  we  brush  aside,  an  in- 
significant and  but  momentary  annoyance. 

Life  is  short.  Why  then  not  make  the  best 
use  of  it  to-day?  When  shall  we  be  content? 
When,  if  not  now,  live  truly  and  earnestly,  trust- 
ing God  implicitly,  and  holding  sweet  and  restful 
communion  with  him? 

Much  that  might  be  sweet  and  helpful  in 
our  lives  is  overlooked,  because  we  are  constantly 
anticipating  some  fancied  greater  blessing  than 
we  now  possess,  and  in  our  anxious  care  for  the 
morrow,  we  fail  to  enjoy  the  blessings  of  to-day. 
In  this  manner  all  our  days  are  full  of  unrest, 
and  we  spend  our  whole  life  anticipating,  but  not 
realizing;  for,  as  soon  as  we  have  reached  a  de- 
sired point,  we  see  beyond  us  still  something  to 
reach  after,  which  we  believe  to  be  necessary  to 


NO  THOUGHT  FOR  TO-MORROW       S 

our  comfort  or  happiness.  The  truth  is,  that  if 
we  have  not  the  spirit  of  contentment  to-day,  we 
are  not  likely  to  have  it  to-morrow.  If  we  do 
not  exhaust  the  resources  of  to-day,  but  pass 
them  by  unused,  we  are  likely  to  do  the  same  to- 
morrow, thus  making  all  our  days  barren  of  joy 
and  of  the  satisfaction  which  comes  from  the  as- 
surance in  our  hearts  that  we  have  made  the 
most  of  the  day's  gifts  to  us.  The  feeling  of  un- 
rest and  dissatisfaction  which  takes  possession 
of  so  many  persons,  whatever  their  circumstances 
and  surroundings,  and  follows  them  all  through 
life,  is  something  startling.  Now  and  then  we 
find  one  who  is  comparatively  at  rest,  but  the  ma- 
jority, even  of  those  who  profess  to  trust  God 
implicitly,  are  restless  and  dissatisfied. 

What  is  the  reason  for  this  contradictory  con- 
dition? Many  Christians  have  a  sort  of  in- 
definite belief  that  God  is  their  Father,  and  that 
he  loves  them,  and  will  take  care  of  them  in  a 
general  way.  That  he  has  an  especial  and  daily 
supervision  of  their  lives  does  not  enter  their 
thoughts,  even  when  they  pray,  "Give  us  this 
day  our  daily  bread."  With  this  indistinct  idea 
of  God's  relation  to  them,  and  their  relation  to 
him,  their  faith  is  weak  and  wavering,  and  as 
no  one  can  be  satisfied  with  anything  short  of 
complete  faith  in  a  personal  Savior,  they  are  not 
satisfied,  neither  do  they  appropriate  to  them- 
selves the  promised  daily  grace  for  daily  needs. 
The  promises  of  the  Bible  are  not  only  for  na- 


4  HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

tions,  but  for  the  individual.  God  does  not  mock 
us  in  reaching  out  his  hand  to  lead  us.  Neither 
does  he  stand  ready  to  give  us  an  occasional  lift 
over  difficult  places,  but  hourly  is  his  loving  and 
helping  hand  extended,  and  if  we  would  only 
grasp  it  and  never  let  go,  how  many  mistakes  we 
might  avoid !  He  is  our  God  to-day.  All  that 
we  need  for  to-day  comes  from  his  bountiful  hand, 
according  to  the  measure  of  our  faith. 

Perfect  faith  in  God  would  so  transform  our 
lives  that  we  would  hardly  know  ourselves.  To 
feel  each  morning  that  we  are  held  in  the  hollow 
of  his  hand  who  controls  all  the  gold  and  silver, 
the  food  and  raiment,  the  good  and  the  evil,  to 
realize  that  God  goes  behind  us  to  correct  our 
mistakes,  that  he  is  all  about  us,  that  nothing 
can  touch  us  without  his  permission,  and  that  he 
permits  nothing  which  is  not  for  our  highest  good, 
would  bring  peace  into  our  hearts  and  radiance 
into  our  faces  which  could  not  be  mistaken. 
Every  day  would  bring  its  own  compensations, 
its  own  completeness,  and  we  would  not  need  to 
anticipate  or  look  forward. 

How  can  any  one  doubt  that  God  means  that 
we  should  live  in  this  way,  taking  no  anxious 
thought  for  the  morrow,  appreciating  and  making 
the  most  of  the  blessings  of  to-day,  and  endur- 
ing its  annoyances  with  sweet  submission  to  his 
will  who  knows  how  much  trial  we  need,  who  is 
molding  us  daily  into  the  image  of  his  Son.  How 
happy  are  we  if  we  can  say  sincerely  every  morn- 


NO  THOUGHT  FOR  TO-MORROW       5 

ing,  "O,  Lord,  I  am  thine  to-day;  use  me  as  thou 
wilt,  and  make  my  will  in  harmony  with  thy  will, 
that  Jesus  may  be  glorified  in  me  to-day !" 

What  have  we  to  do  with  the  morrow?  The 
present  moment  is  all  that  we  can,  with  certainty, 
call  our  own.  If  we  do  not  instantly  grasp  this 
moment,  and  use  it,  it  is  ours  no  longer.  It  will 
never  come  back  to  us.  How  wise,  therefore,  it 
is  to  take  no  thought  for  the  future,  in  order 
that  we  may  give  our  whole  thought  and  effort 
to  the  present,  that  we  may  take  all  the  good, 
all  the  strength,  all  the  power  from  to-day,  and 
pass  it  by  a  well-used  day,  with  no  desire  to  re- 
call it.  One  day  at  a  time  is  all  that  we  can 
master. 

It  is  said  that  in  to-day  already  walks  to- 
morrow. That  is  man's  perversion.  God  has 
separated  to-day  from  to-morrow  by  the  darkness 
of  the  night,  that  we  may  not  be  overtaxed.  He 
has  made  circles  of  the  days  and  nights,  each  one 
complete,  and  round  and  full;  one  half  for  work 
and  happiness,  the  other  for  repose.  He  holds 
us  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand  from  morning  until 
night,  and  from  night  until  morning,  and  all  we 
have  to  take  thought  about  is  the  work  he 
gives  us  to  do,  and  the  blessings  he  gives  us  to 
enjoy.  If  we  do  well  each  day's  work,  the  fu- 
ture will  be  provided  for.  He  takes  care  of  that, 
and  our  eternal  future,  he  provides  for  at  the 
beginning.  "Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God." 
Then  how  secure  we  are.  How  completely  we 


6  HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

can  rest  in  him  as  we  perform  our  tasks.  How 
full  we  can  fill  the  moments  with  love  and  its  out- 
growth. How  patient  we  can  be  under  neces- 
sary ills.  What  a  warm  light  we  may  shed  all 
through  our  homes,  in  society,  in  business  circles, 
everywhere. 

It  is  true  that  much  of  the  work  of  the  present 
must  have  reference  to  the  future.  The  farmer 
must  prepare  the  ground  and  sow  the  seed;  but 
while  sowing  the  seed,  he  needs  not  take  upon 
himself  the  burden  of  the  harvest.  There  are  a 
thousand  possibilities  thrusting  themselves  in  the 
face  of  all  to  give  them  anxious  care  for  the 
future.  Sow  the  seed  and  trust.  Do  the  day's 
work,  whether  it  be  for  present  need  or  for  the 
winter  of  life,  in  hope. 

Our  blessed  Lord  knew  what  was  in  man;  that 
he  would  take  upon  himself  burdens  hard  to 
bear,  which  would  imperil  his  manhood.  He 
knew  the  race  for  all  time,  and  that  in  the  deter- 
mination to  lay  up  treasures  on  earth,  men  would 
become  more  and  more  absorbed  in  the  present, 
or  become  possessed  by  the  evil  spirit  of  accu- 
mulation. He  knew  the  greed,  the  selfishness,  the 
littleness  of  men,  if  left  to  themselves,  and  to  put 
a  check  upon  them,  and  to  reveal  a  better  way, 
he  said,  "Take  no  thought  for  to-morrow." 

How  thankful  we  should  be  that  we  have  only 
to-day's  work  to  do,  its  trials  to  endure.  Thank- 
ful, too,  that  we  may  have  all  the  pleasant  things 
of  to-day,  all  the  joys,  all  the  love,  the  com- 


NO  THOUGHT  FOR  TO-MORROW       7 

panionship,  the  tenderness  and  sympathy  at  our 
command,  knowing  that  to-morrow  will  bring  its 
own  good  as  well  as  evil. 

.How  many,  as  if  not  satisfied  with  the  real 
troubles  of  the  present,  anticipate  future  trials. 
How  senseless,  when  the  future  is  as  blank  to  us 
as  possible,  and  things  rarely  happen  just  as  we 
expect.  They  wear  themselves  out  fretting  about 
the  future.  They  lose  to-day's  joys  in  looking 
for  the  future  greater  joy.  They  throw  away 
good  opportunities,  in  looking  for  better  ones. 
They  withhold  from  their  friends  the  small  roses 
it  is  in  their  power  to  give,  in  the  hope,  some 
day,  of  scattering  roses  everywhere.  They  with- 
hold the  dollar  from  charity,  looking  forward 
to  the  time  when  they  shall  be  able  to  give  a  hun- 
dred instead.  They  fail  to  enjoy  their  small 
houses  and  modest,  but  real  comforts,  in  think- 
ing of  future  mansions.  They  make  to-day  some- 
thing to  be  endured  and  gotten  through  with  in 
some  way,  while  all  the  really  good  things  are  in 
the  future. 

Oh,  cast  out  from  your  life  this  haunting  phan- 
tom of  to-morrow.  It  is  unworthy  of  you  to  let 
it  follow  you  so  closely,  making  your  life  a 
troubled,  perhaps  a  wretched,  anxious  existence. 
There  are  pearls  dropping  all  around  you  to-day. 
Will  you  trample  them  under  foot  while  looking 
for  diamonds?  There  are  fragrant  lilies  and 
roses  blooming  for  you  now.  Will  you  pass  them 
by  unheeded,  while  seeking  for  rarer  flowers  which 


8  HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

bloom  not  oftener  than  once  in  a  century?  Be 
not  so  unwise.  Live  in  to-day.  Enjoy  present 
good.  You  will  thus  find  a  satisfaction  in  living, 
thus  be  able  to  make  wise  use  of  your  powers, 
thus  with  your  present  resources  be  able  to  fill  the 
day  to  completeness.  Your  life  will  become  tran- 
quil. The  sharp  and  anxious  lines  will  disappear 
from  your  face.  Your  nerves  will  be  stronger, 
and  restfulness  will  mark  all  your  movements.  You 
will  be  less  avaricious.  And  you  will  be  brave; 
for  who  cannot  be  brave  for  to-day?  And  fear- 
less; who  cannot  trust  God  for  to-day?  And 
loving;  who  cannot  be  magnanimous  for  one  day? 
And  tender;  who  cannot  be  tender  to  the  little 
ones,  to  the  weak  ones,  to  the  less  favored  ones 
for  one  day?  And  pure;  who  cannot  be  washed 
at  the  fountain  in  the  morning,  and  remain  pure 
all  day? 

Oh,  glorious  life  to  live,  leaving  all  the  un- 
known future  with  God,  and  living  one  day  at  a 
time,  doing  the  work  given  us  cheerfully  and 
well,  even  though  it  be  of  the  humblest,  and  al- 
ways trusting  God.  What  more  do  we  need  than 
daily  bread?  If  we  perform  each  day  our  duty 
to  God,  to  our  fellow-men,  and  to  ourselves,  what 
better  preparation  can  we  ever  make  for  the  long 
to-morrow  of  the  soul,  which  in  heaven  will  be  as 
one  eternal  to-day? 

To-morrow  is  like  the  rainbow,  which,  in  our 
childhood,  we  thought  we  could  reach  by  running 
a  short  distance,  but  which,  to  our  dismay,  we 


NO  THOUGHT  FOR  TO-MORROW       9 

found  to  recede  as  rapidly  as  we  advanced;  or 
like  the  horizon,  which  we  imagined  not  far  dis- 
tant, and  that  we  should  be  able  to  touch  the 
golden  glory  gilding  it.  To-morrow  we  never 
see.  To-day  we  hold  in  a  strong  grasp.  Use  it 
ere  it  pass  away.  Time  whirls  rapidly  on.  All 
the  to-morrows  will  be  to-days,  then  yesterdays, 
and  pass  quickly  far  away  into  the  past  until  cen- 
turies hide  them  from  all  the  living.  Time  is  for 
us  to  use.  If  we  waste  it  while  anticipating  fu- 
ture good  or  future  ill,  we  lose  to-day,  and  all 
the  days  as  they  go  on,  until  our  last  day  will 
find  us  barren  and  unlovely. 

Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof.  Suf- 
ficient also  unto  the  day  is  the  good  thereof,  if 
we  will  open  our  eyes  to  see  it.  How  many  go 
through  this  world  as  blind  as  bats,  and  call  it  a 
vale  of  tears !  There  is  reason  for  tears,  surely ; 
but  there  is  reason,  also,  for  rejoicing.  Open 
your  eyes  to  present  opportunities.  Think  not 
of  what  will  come  to  you  in  the  future,  but  what 
is  yours  now.  Think  not  of  what  you  can  do  in 
the  future,  but  what  you  can  do  now.  Think  of 
your  present  blessings,  and  appreciate  them  the 
more.  They  are  daily  bread.  Does  it  rain  to- 
day ?  Is  it  dark  and  gloomy  ?  That  is  all  right ; 
there  must  be  some  stormy  days.  To-morrow  the 
cloud  will  have  a  silver  lining,  or  disappear  en- 
tirely. Does  the  sun  shine  to-day?  To-morrow 
may  be  bright  also,  or  you  may  pass  into  eternal 
brightness. 


10          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

Are  you  well?  Enjoy  your  health  and  use  it 
to  the  best  advantage.  Are  you  ill?  Then  to- 
day is  a  day  in  which  to  be  patient  and  endure 
cheerfully.  Are  you  free  from  trouble?  Then  it 
is  a  thanksgiving  day.  Are  you  carrying  heavy 
burdens  for  yourself  or  others?  Then  it  is  a  day 
for  especial  looking  to  God,  and  the  rolling  off 
your  burdens  at  the  foot  of  the  cross.  What- 
ever the  day  brings  to  you,  God  comes  with  all 
its  gifts  in  the  person  of  his  Son,  and  in  the  of- 
fice of  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  the  presence  of  Jesus, 
the  darkest  day  will  be  made  light;  by  the  in- 
dwelling of  the  Holy  Spirit,  all  toil  and  trouble 
will  be  sanctified.  Using  each  day  well,  improv- 
ing every  moment  to  some  good  end,  how  rich 
we  may  become  as  the  days  go  on ;  and  what  fruit 
we  may  bear  to  the  glory  and  honor  of  our 
Heavenly  Father,  who  fills  the  measure  of  our 
days  to  completeness  so  that  we  need  not  tres- 
pass upon  to-morrow. 

God  wishes  us  to  live  on  daily  bread,  with  no 
questioning  as  to  whether  to-morrow's  food  will 
be  more  or  less  palatable  than  that  which  we  have 
to-day.  To-day's  blessings  are  ours ;  the  rest 
are  God's  to  give  or  to  withhold,  as  seems  good 
in  his  sight.  To-day's  waiting  and  loss  are  ours, 
and  we  are  to  wait  patiently,  and  to  lose  bravely. 
To-morrow's  trials  may  be  quite  unlike  those  of 
to-day,  and  there  are  some  days  that  are  all  joy. 
Who  cannot  be  patient  and  cheerful  for  one  day? 
Who  cannot  rest  so  firmly  on  the  Rock,  our  sure 


NO  THOUGHT  FOR  TO-MORROW      11 

foundation,  for  one  day,  as  not  to  be  moved, 
whatever  may  happen  to  vex  or  annoy?  It  is 
only  one  by  one,  day  by  day.  Give  us,  Oh,  Lord, 
this  day,  our  daily  bread! 


n 

BEARING  THE   CROSS 

Who  can  imagine  for  one  moment  what  our 
Lord  endured  for  us?  The  cross  he  bore  on  Cal- 
vary was  not  his  only  cross.  No  doubt  many 
crosses  pressed  heavily  upon  him  even  from  his 
childhood.  He  was  unlike  other  children.  Their 
rough  and  uncultivated  ways  must  have  caused 
his  gentle  and  sensitive  nature  to  shrink  within 
itself.  Their  inclination  for  wrong-doing  must 
have  given  him  pain,  and  his  remonstrances  and 
disapproval  of  their  acts  were,  no  doubt,  often 
misunderstood. 

One  of  his  life-long  trials  must  have  been  the 
constant  realization  that  he  was  alone.  Who 
could  understand  him?  Who  could  sympathize 
with  him?  Upon  whose  tender,  human  heart 
could  he  lay  his  weary  head  and  rest?  His  posi- 
tion was  singular.  Never,  since  the  world  began, 
had  any  one  stood  in  his  place,  suspended,  as  it 
were,  between  heaven  and  earth,  between  ages 
past  and  ages  to  come,  neither  wholly  human,  nor 
yet  wholly  divine,  the  Incarnate  Son  of  God,  lifted 
up  before  the  gaze  of  all  humanity,  first  by  sym- 
bols, then  in  his  own  body,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieved in  him  should  not  perish  but  have  everlast- 
ing life, 


BEARING  THE  CROSS  13 

Singular,  indeed,  was  the  heavy  cross  he  bore, 
upon  which  was  laid  the  sins  of  all  the  ages,  from 
the  creation  of  the  world  to  the  end  of  time. 
No  doubt  the  wooden  cross  which  was  placed  upon 
him,  and  to  which  he  was  nailed  at  the  last,  was  a 
symbol  of  all  that  he  had  borne  and  suffered,  from 
the  moment  when  he  realized  his  position  and  his 
mission  until  that  time;  and  his  agony  in  Geth- 
semane,  and  his  torture  upon  the  cross,  were  but 
feeble  expressions  of  what  he  really  suffered  for 
our  redemption.  It  is  not  strange  that  in  his 
intense  agony  he  prayed  that  the  cup  might  pass. 
None  of  us  can  ever  know  the  mystery  of  that  bit- 
ter cup.  We  can  only  in  part  divine  it,  and  ap- 
proach with  holy  reverence  into  the  presence  of 
the  supreme  suffering  which  called  forth  such  a 
prayer  from  the  Patient  One,  the  Divine  One,  the 
Son  of  God,  "Oh,  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let 
this  cup  pass  from  me !"  Three  times  he  prayed 
the  same  words,  as  drops  of  blood  were  falling  on 
the  ground,  from  his  intense  agony.  But  not- 
withstanding this  terrible  ordeal,  we  listen  rev- 
erently to  his  expressions  of  deepest  humility,  and 
sweetest  submission,  "Father,  if  this  cup  may  not 
pass  away  from  me,  except  I  drink  it,  thy  will  be 
done !" 

There  are  hours  in  the  life  of  every  one  of  us 
when  we  feel  that  our  cup  is  full  to  overflowing, 
that  it  is  too  bitter,  that  we  cannot  drink  it. 
There  are  crosses  fastened  to  our  hearts  that 
pierce  and  lacerate,  and  we  shrink  from  them, 


14.          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

and  beg  and  plead  to  have  them  removed.  But, 
as  with  Jesus,  there  are  often  reasons  why  the 
crosses  should  remain.  God  has  a  work  to  be 
done  by  them  which  nothing  else  could  do,  and 
they  will  be  lightened  or  removed  only  when  his 
purpose  is  accomplished.  There  are  crosses, 
also,  which  are  light  and  so  easy  to  bear  that  we 
do  not  think  of  asking  the  help  of  Jesus  in  bear- 
ing them,  and  they  fret  and  irritate,  and  make 
us  impatient  and  unlovely.  There  is  no  cross, 
be  it  light  or  heavy,  which  he  will  not  illuminate 
for  us,  if  we  bear  it  in  sweetness  and  humility, 
following  him. 

All  have  crosses  to  bear.  There  is  no  escape 
for  any  one.  Even  when  we  call  ourselves  happy, 
is  there  not  an  under-current  of  pain  flowing 
swift  and  strong  threatening  to  take  us  off  our 
feet  and  bear  us  out  into  the  sea  of  trouble 
stretching  on  farther  than  the  eye  can  see,  with 
constant  ebb  and  flow  throughout  this  life?  Oh, 
there  is,  there  is,  and  God's  children  will  find  peace 
only  as  their  minds  and  hearts  are  stayed  on  him. 

Dear  one,  are  you  lying  on  a  bed  of  pain?  Is 
there  never  a  day  nor  an  hour  when  you  are  free 
from  suffering?  Truly,  the  earthward  side  of 
that  cross  is  very  dark;  but  the  other  side!  Oh, 
if  you  can  but  see  the  heavenward  side!  All 
bright  and  shining  with  the  loving  compassion  of 
your  Lord!  Hold  fast  to  him,  and  pain  will  not 
overwhelm  you;  peace  will  enter  your  soul,  and 
the  Everlasting  Arms  will  hold  you,  in  strong, 


BEARING  THE  CROSS  15 

loving  embrace  from  morning  until  night,  and 
from  night  until  morning. 

"Take  up  thy  cross  and  follow  me."  We  are 
not  to  shrink  from  bearing  our  cross.  We  are 
not  to  try  to  run  away  from  it ;  we  are  to  take  it 
up !  "Take  up  thy  cross,  not  that  of  some  other 
person.  Take  up  the  cross  appointed  unto  thee 
for  thy  discipline,  for  thy  instruction,  for  thy 
preparation,  for  the  life  of  the  Crucified."  If 
we  be  one  in  him,  must  we  not  also  be  crucified 
with  him?  Must  not  every  sinful  desire,  and 
thought,  every  word  and  deed  be  nailed  to  the 
cross,  even  to  the  sacrifice  of  our  most  cherished 
idols,  even  to  the  death  of  our  dearest  earthly 
hopes?  Humiliated,  even  with  our  faces  in  the 
dust,  here,  to  receive  glory,  and  honor,  and  joy 
unspeakable  in  heavenly  mansions.  Crucified 
with  our  Lord  here,  to  be  exalted  with  him  in 
heaven ! 

Joyfully  let  us  take  up  our  cross,  and,  with 
bleeding  feet,  if  need  be,  follow  all  along  the 
thorny  path  in  which  he  trod  to  take  us  safe  to 
heaven.  Sometimes  it  may  seem  to  us  that  God 
is  partial,  that  the  crosses  of  some  we  know  are 
much  lighter  than  our  own.  Considering  it  from 
a  worldly  point  of  view,  it  does  really  seem  that 
some  persons  are  set  up  as  targets  for  sorrow 
and  misfortune. 

Many  are  led  as  lambs  to  the  slaughter  every 
day,  innocent  persons  led  by  selfishness,  by 
cruelty,  by  scandal,  by  fraud  to  the  ruin  of  hap- 


16         HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

piness,  of  reputation,  of  property,  often  to  death. 
Why  is  it?  How  futile  this  question  which  is  so 
often  asked  in  agony,  but  which  can  never  be  an- 
swered until  the  secrets  of  infinity  are  revealed, 
and  we  see  as  a  grand  whole  the  panorama  of  the 
ages  pass  before  us.  It  was  by  the  sins  of  the 
world  that  the  Lamb  of  God  was  led  to  the 
slaughter,  and  it  is  by  sin  that  troubles  come  to 
us.  Review  your  life  from  the  beginning.  See 
how  much  of  your  trouble  has  been  the  result, 
directly  or  indirectly,  of  some  wrong-doing  on 
your  part  or  that  of  another. 

Men  are  like  the  beasts  of  the  forest.  They 
prey  upon  one  another  without  mercy.  They 
steal  and  rob  and  murder,  with  the  boldness  of 
highwaymen,  or  under  cover  of  hypocrisy  and  de- 
ceit or  with  the  air  of  doing  a  favor.  These 
things  have  been,  and  are,  and  will  be  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent,  no  matter  who  suffers,  until  Satan 
is  banished  and  the  millennium  dawns.  If  all  were 
living  an  ordinary,  comfortable  life,  where  would 
be  the  heroes?  Who  would  perform  brave  acts, 
who  stand  unflinchingly  before  terrible  disaster? 
Who  go  to  the  front  in  battles  to  be  won?  Who 
follow  our  Lord  to  Gethsemane? 

After  all,  you  who  have  suffered,  you  whom  the 
Lord  has  chastened  because  of  his  great  love  for 
you,  would  you  go  back  if  you  could  to  lead  an 
uneventful  life,  an  ordinary,  easy  life  looking 
only  to  the  comfort  of  this  world?  Would  you 
go  back  to  mere  commonplace  experiences,  to  the 


BEARING  THE  CROSS  17 

daily  routine  of  common  people,  common  in  the 
sense  of  never  having  had  other  than  common  ex- 
periences? Would  you  if  you  could?  To  be 
sure,  the  pain  of  your  life  has  been  great,  and 
there  have  been  many  times  when  it  seemed  to  you 
that  you  could  not  bear  it;  but  have  there  not 
been  compensations,  have  there  not  been  rich  ex- 
periences? Has  there  not  been  a  nearer  draw- 
ing to  your  Heavenly  Father,  and  a  more  steady 
abiding  in  his  sweet  peace?  Have  you  not,  many 
a  time,  felt  the  sympathetic  pressure  of  your 
Lord's  hand,  more  precious  than  lands  or  houses, 
silver  or  gold?  Have  you  not  been  permitted  to 
lean  your  weary,  aching  head  upon  his  bosom,  and 
has  he  not  comforted  you?  He,  the  King  of 
kings  and  Lord  of  lords? 

A  heavy  cross-bearer,  ah,  yes !  To  the  shat- 
tering of  many  hopes,  to  the  giving  up  of  much 
that  is  dear,  to  the  drinking  to  the  dregs  the 
bitter  cup  of  sorrow  and  misfortune !  Jesus  bore 
the  heavy  cross,  yet  he  did  not  complain. 
Sweetly  and  patiently,  with  few  smiles  and  many 
tears,  he  went  about  his  Father's  business  with- 
out a  murmur;  living  his  wonderful  life  with  the 
cross  ever  before  him,  ministered  unto  by  angels, 
beloved  and  approved  by  God,  rejected,  cursed 
and  spit  upon  by  man,  he  went  on  steadily  to  the 
accomplishment  of  his  sublime  work,  that  of  sav- 
ing a  lost  world ! 

Doubtless  it  is  for  some  grand  purpose  that 
you  are  led  to  the  cross;  so  take  comfort,  and 


18         HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

trust  in  God,  and  love  his  Son,  and  be  brave  and 
fearless  no  matter  what  happens.  We  do  not 
need  to  know  the  reason  for  God's  dealing  with 
us.  We  cannot  question  his  love,  or  his  wisdom. 
With  all  resources  in  his  power,  he  can  do  what 
he  wills ;  and  what  an  omniscient  and  omnipotent 
God  wrills  should  be  accepted  as  the  best  for  us 
he  has  to  give.  The  bread  he  provides  for  us 
often  has  the  appearance  of  a  stone;  but  it  is 
really  of  choicest  wheat,  the  very  bread  of  life. 
He  sometimes  hedges  us  about,  and  shuts  us  in, 
and  cuts  off  all  egress  from  the  narrow  straits  in 
which  he  holds  us,  to  work  his  will  in  us,  his  holy, 
blessed  will!  Then  welcome  pain  and  weariness, 
sorrow  and  misfortune,  even  death  itself,  if  it  be 
his  will! 

To  the  bearing  of  the  cross  let  it  be,  following 
our  Lord  with  bleeding  feet  and  aching  heart  even 
unto  death!  Really  following  him,  and  never  for- 
saking him  even  though  the  veil  of  the  temple 
be  rent  and  darkness  cover  the  face  of  the  earth, 
waiting  in  hope  at  his  tomb  until  the  resurrection 
morn.  As  he  triumphed  over  death  itself,  so  may 
we  in  his  name  gain  victories  which  the  angels 
will  record,  and  which  will  call  forth  triumphant 
shouts  from  all  the  heavenly  host. 

Then  what  matter  if  our  lot  on  earth  be  hard? 
After  lying  on  a  bed  of  thorns  will  not  the  roses 
be  the  sweeter?  After  the  darkness  of  this  life 
will  not  the  light  of  heaven  almost  dazzle  us? 
After  living  way  down  in  the  valley  will  not  the 


BEARING  THE  CROSS  19 

heights    of   the    New    Jerusalem   be    all-glorious? 

"Our  days  on  the  earth  are  as  a  shadow,  and 
there  is  no  abiding."  Then  let  us  not  place  too 
much  value  upon  earthly  comforts,  or  too  much 
importance  upon  what  happens  to  us  here.  If 
we  can  be  made  ready  to  fill  the  place  God  has 
appointed  for  us  in  the  building  of  the  Eternal 
Temple,  we  need  not  call  the  chippings  of  God's 
chisel  misfortunes.  In  so  far  as  we  are  in  har- 
mony with  God's  will,  what  we  now  call  chastise- 
ments will  be  received  as  blessings,  and,  consid- 
ered in  this  light,  there  is  no  real  misfortune,  no 
real  chastisement. 

Fellow  cross-bearers,  take  courage!  The  help 
of  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  is  yours  if  you 
will  but  take  it.  You  may  rejoice  under  diffi- 
culties. You  may  sing  and  shout  praises  to  God 
even  when  the  thunder-peal  of  misfortune  is  the 
loudest,  and  such  praise  will  rise  to  heaven  as 
sweetest  incense,  and  mingle  with  the  praises  of 
the  heavenly  host  around  the  throne  of  God  and 
the  Lamb. 

It  is  not  strange  that  we  shrink  from  bearing 
the  cross  if  we  see  only  the  earthly  side  of  it, 
upon  which  is  written  in  blood-red  characters, 
"The  reproach  of  the  world,"  "Separation  from 
friends,"  "Toil  and  weariness,"  "Temptation  and 
sorrow."  But  if  we  keep  in  view  the  heavenward 
side,  we  may  take  courage,  for  there  we  find  in 
letters  of  gold,  "Peace  unutterable,"  "Life  ever- 
lasting," "A  home  in  the  heart  of  Jesus." 


20          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

"  'Do  not  choose  thy  crosses,  but  take  those  which 
God  gives  thee. 

"  'In  the  gift  of  my  cross  beware  of  choosing,  for 
I  know  better  than  thou  what  thou  canst  endure. 

'  'Thou  must  not  drag  thy  cross,  but  bear  it.  Thou 
must  not  blush  because  of  it,  but  glory  in  it. 

'  'When  the  burden  of  thy  holy  cross  terrifies  thee, 
it  is  the  want  of  love  which  renders  it  heavy. 

4  'Thou  must  not  bear  thy  cross  with  ostentation, 
but  simply  upon  the  shoulder. 

'  'Under  the  yoke  of  my  cross  bend  thy  will  in 
bearing  this  burden  with  humility.'  " 


Ill 

HE  IS  COMING 

"A  little  girl  was  playing  near  the  edge  of  a  preci- 
pice. Suddenly  she  felt  the  earth  give  way  beneath 
her  feet,  and  before  she  had  time  to  spring  back  to 
a  place  of  safety,  she  had  slipped  over  the  edge  of 
the  abyss.  With  the  instinct  of  despair,  she  snatched 
at  the  grass  and  tall  weeds  within  her  reach.  Her 
little  fingers  dug  deep  into  the  ground,  and  stayed 
her  downward  course.  There  she  hung,  suspended 
in  the  air.  Moments  seemed  ages  until  she  heard  a 
voice  calling  in  a  firm,  encouraging  tone,  'I  am  com- 
ing; keep  looking  up!'  Instinctively  she  obeyed;  she 
never  glanced  downward,  but  clung  faster  to  her  only 
chance  of  safety.  Again  the  voice,  this  time  nearer, 
spoke  hopefully,  'I  am  coming;  keep  looking  up!' 
In  another  moment,  two  strong  hands  had  seized  her 
in  a  firm  grasp,  and  she  felt  herself  drawn  gently  and 
cautiously  forward.  Then  she  was  lifted  into  great, 
loving  arms,  and  pressed  close  to  her  Father's 
breast!" 

There  are  supreme  moments  in  life  when  we 
must  look  up  and  listen  for  the  "I  am  coming" 
of  our  Lord.  It  may  be  at  the  death-bed  of  a 
husband  or  a  child  that  we  feel  the  earth  give 
way  beneath  our  feet,  or  when  we  are  on  the  brink 
of  financial  ruin  and  disaster,  or  when  friends 

21 


Ml         HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

whom  we  have  long  trusted  prove  to  be  our  ene- 
mies. All  have  need  to  look  up  to  avoid  the  terri- 
ble fall  from  the  brow  of  the  precipice  which  will 
surely  happen  if  we  look  down,  if  we  look  away 
from  Jesus,  whose  voice  is  calling,  "I  am  coming, 
keep  looking  up !" 

It  is  not  only  when  some  great  and  terrible 
calamity  or  bereavement  threatens  us  that  we 
should  look  up.  When  mothers  are  weary  and 
discouraged  with  their  many  cares  and  trials, 
what  can  they  do  but  look  up  and  tell  their 
troubles  to  God?  He  will  hear  even  a  whisper, 
or  a  wordless  prayer  for  help  and  comfort,  and 
will  come.  Fathers  who  are  distracted  with  busi- 
ness cares  and  worries,  and  who  know  not  which 
way  to  turn,  should  look  up.  Sometimes  our 
greatest  trial  is  the  thorn,  the  pain  of  which 
must  be  borne,  day  after  day,  until  we  are  ready 
to  beseech  God,  with  repeated  earnestness,  that 
it  may  be  removed.  He  who  wore  the  crown  of 
thorns  and  bent  beneath  the  burden  of  his  heavy 
cross  will  come  to  help  us  bear  our  trial,  be 
it  great  or  small.  To  every  one,  in  loneliness,  in 
darkness  or  in  weakness,  he  will  come.  Do  not 
fear  that  his  coming  will  be  too  late.  If  he  delay 
it  is  to  try  your  faith.  Only  look  to  him,  and  he 
will  come;  one  look  away  from  him,  one  down- 
ward look  may  be  fatal.  Listen  to  his  voice,  and 
he  will  come  to  save  you  from  every  danger,  to 
help  you  bear  every  trial,  to  help  you  resist  every 
temptation,  to  wash  you  whiter  than  snow  that 


HE  IS  COMING  23 

you  may  be  his  own  in  the  Heavenly  Kingdom  for- 
ever and  ever! 

Why  not  look  up?  Why  not  trust  the  Omnip- 
otent Father?  The  flowers  lift  their  faces  to 
him  to  receive  the  dew,  the  sun,  and  rain.  Even 
the  little  Alpine  flower  on  the  mountain  top  smiles 
heavenward.  The  mountains,  whether  bathed  in 
the  light  of  the  setting  sun,  or  hidden  by  the 
clouds,  lift  their  summits  toward  the  sky. 
Everything  in  nature  looks  up  to  God,  and  tells 
us  of  his  love.  Even  the  ocean,  lashed  to  fury 
in  a  storm,  lifts  huge  waves  towards  heaven,  and 
speaks  in  mighty  tones  of  his  power  and  maj- 
esty. 

When  we  see  God's  great  power  in  the 
earthquake,  the  avalanche,  the  thunderbolt,  the 
fierce  flame,  and  at  the  same  time,  his  tender 
care  of  a  blade  of  grass,  or  a  lily  of  the  field,  can 
we  for  one  moment  doubt  his  desire  to  lift  us  up, 
to  hold  us  safe,  to  keep  the  terrible  life-storms 
through  which  all  must  pass  for  discipline,  for 
strength,  from  hurling  us  against  the  rocks,  or 
burying  us  beneath  the  waves?  Cannot  we  also 
look  up  to  him  for  help  in  all  the  trivial  things  of 
daily  life? 

May  our  faces  always  turn  towards  our  Lord. 
May  we  listen,  listen  for  the  coming  of  his  feet. 
When  we  hear  his  voice  calling  us,  may  we  look 
away  from  our  earthly  cares  to  him.  He  is  com- 
ing with  swift  feet  to  lift  us  up,  to  hold  us  safe. 
We  know  not  over  what  abyss  we  are  suspended, 


24          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

ready  to  fall  at  any  moment,  if  we  look  away  from 
him. 

Jesus  comes  not  only  when  we  are  in  danger, 
but  every  day  with  many  messages  of  love  and 
warning.  He  comes  at  an  hour  when  we  think 
not,  knocking  at  the  door  of  our  homes,  knocking 
at  the  door  of  our  hearts,  and  because  we  are  not 
ready,  and  do  not  hear  him,  or,  if  we  hear,  are 
ashamed  to  admit  him,  grieving  he  turns  away  to 
come  next  time  in  chastisement,  and  spares  not 
whatever  is  needful  for  our  highest  good,  that  not 
even  one  of  his  little  ones  may  perish.  How 
often  he  might  come  to  us  in  anger.  How  often 
we  weary  his  patience.  How  we  love  things 
which  he  hates  and  from  which  he  is  trying  to  re- 
deem us.  Could  we  quietly  examine  ourselves 
from  the  standpoint  from  which  he  searches  us, 
each  day  would  bring  many  humiliating  proofs  of 
the  need  of  his  coming  with  chastening  hands, 
with  loving  pierced  hands  outstretched  to  save 
us. 

He  comes  to  us  in  physical  suffering.  There 
are  days  in  the  life  of  each  one  when  every  nerve 
and  fiber  thrills  with  pain;  when  the  head  throbs 
as  if  it  would  burst,  and  we  find  it  difficult  or 
utterly  impossible  to  think  of  anything  but  our 
own  intense  suffering,  and  we  can  only  hold  still 
and  brace  ourselves  to  endure.  Need  we  re- 
proach ourselves  if  at  such  times  we  cannot  pray, 
that  we  cannot  even  think  of  God,  that  pain  holds 
us  in  subjection  with  an  iron  hand?  Ah,  then 


HE  IS  COMING  25 

we  can  only  lie  in  the  arms  of  Divine  Pity,  as  a 
sick  child  lies  in  its  mother's  arms,  unconscious 
of  the  tender,  yearning  love  surrounding  and 
holding  us.  But  as  everything  which  conies  from 
God  brings  with  it  some  brightness  from  the 
throne  itself,  if  in  these  hours  of  seclusion  we  can 
gain  mastery  enough  over  ourselves  to  realize  that 
this,  too,  is  God-given,  we  may  see  ourselves  sur- 
rounded by  a  Divine  Brightness,  even  Jesus  him- 
self, who  cannot  remain  afar  off,  when  his  loved 
ones  suffer;  and  this  wonderful  revelation  will 
help  us  much  towards  sweetness  and  patience,  and 
final  victory  over  the  pain  itself.  We  need  to 
say  continually,  "This  is  of  God.  I  can  bear  it 
because  it  is  his  will." 

Oh,  if  we  could  but  see,  every  day,  in  all  con- 
ditions of  life  just  how  the  Savior  comes  to  us! 
How  he  wards  off  unseen  dangers,  and  puts  him- 
self beneath  us  to  make  for  us  a  sure  foundation, 
knowing  far  better  than  we  can  know,  that  it  is 
only  the  things  which  are  built  upon  the  Rock 
which  will  endure.  That  any  beauty  or  any 
strength  built  upon  a  less  secure  foundation  must 
eventually  prove  a  deformity  or  weakness.  That 
however  high  or  imposing  the  battlements  of  the 
soul  may  be,  they  cannot  withstand  the  shocks, 
the  underminings  of  the  terrible  influence  of  the 
world,  unless  they  are  built  upon  the  Rock  Christ 
Jesus.  Sometimes  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  him  in 
the  cloud  in  which  he  is  enveloped,  but  oftener  in 
our  sins  and  selfishness  we  do  not  know  that  he  is 


26          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

in  the  disappointment,  in  the  shadow,  in  the 
causes  for  worry  and  anxiety  that  so  often  come 
to  us;  and  because  we  worry  or  repine  under  his 
easy  yoke,  and  are  restless  under  his  light  bur- 
den, we  lose  the  blessing  of  his  sustaining  and 
joy-giving  presence. 

How  sadly  he  comes  to  us  when  he  finds  it 
necessary  to  take  from  us  our  dearly  beloved 
ones !  How  he  pities  us ;  and  takes  us  in  his 
arms  and  hushes  us  as  a  mother  hushes  a  hurt 
child !  How  often  he  comes  to  finds  us  sleeping,  to 
be  grieved  by  our  indifference !  "Could  ye  not 
watch  with  me  one  hour?" 

He  comes  to  us  in  the  still  small  voice,  warn- 
ing us  of  the  enemy  at  hand,  beseeching  us  to  put 
on  the  whole  armor  of  God,  the  girdle  of  truth, 
the  breastplate  of  righteousness,  the  sandals  of 
the  gospel  of  peace,  the  shield  of  faith,  the  helmet 
of  salvation,  and  the  sword  of  the  Spirit.  He 
comes  in  the  thunder-peal  of  misfortune  to  rescue 
us  from  the  danger  of  laying  up  treasures  on 
earth,  for  who  but  he  can  know  the  full  value  of 
treasures  laid  up  in  heaven?  He  will  come  at  an 
hour  when  we  think  not,  to  gather  in  the  harvest. 
Shall  we  have  nothing  to  offer  him  then  but 
leaves  ? 

He  will  come  at  an  hour  when  we  think  not  to 
judge  the  living  and  the  dead.  Who  will  be  able 
to  abide  that  coming?  Who  but  those  who  ap- 
pear before  him  in  raiment  white  and  shining, 
bearing  on  high  a  cross  stained  with  his  heart's 


HE  IS  COMING  27 

blood?  Who  but  the  blood-bought  throng  will 
rejoice  at  that  coming?  To  those  who  are  re- 
deemed it  will  be  a  day  of  glory  and  honor,  and 
joy  unspeakable.  To  those  who  are  not  redeemed 
it  will  be  a  day  of  remorse  and  anguish  unutter- 
able. There  is  no  gainsaying  this.  If  any  thing 
be  true,  this  is  true.  If  there  be  any  salvation 
for  us,  it  is  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  You 
who  are  not  washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb, 
look  to  yourselves !  This  night  your  souls  may 
be  required  of  you ! 

"Watch  ye  therefore,  for  ye  know  not  when 
the  master  of  the  house  cometh,  at  even  or  at 
midnight ;  or  at  the  cock-crowing,  or  in  the  morn- 
ing; lest,  coming  suddenly,  he  find  you  sleeping." 

"Be  ye,  therefore,  ready  also;  for  the  Son  of 
Man  cometh  at  an  hour  when  ye  think  not." 


IV 
ENCOURAGEMENT  FOR  THE  POOR 

There  is  nothing  at  which  we  wonder  more  than 
the  great  contrasts  which  exist  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  human  affairs  in  regard  to  the  things  of 
this  world.  Looking  at  the  existing  condition 
of  things  without  serious  contemplation,  we  are 
ready  to  cry  out  against  the  injustice  of  immense 
wealth  on  the  one  hand,  and  abject  poverty  on 
the  other;  of  the  honor  bestowed  upon  a  few 
men,  to  the  absolute  neglect  of  hosts  of  others 
quite  as  worthy;  of  the  satiety  of  comforts  and 
luxuries  in  one  direction,  and  the  meager  distri- 
bution of  the  same  in  the  other.  But  we  need 
consider  only  for  a  moment  to  see  what  a  strange 
condition  of  affairs  would  exist  if  all  were  upon 
an  absolute  level,  or  if  all  were  rich,  or  all  were 
poor.  That  there  should  be  an  ascending  and 
descending  scale  in  the  relation  of  human  beings 
to  one  another  is  a  necessity  in  the  world's  econ- 
omy. In  order  that  there  may  be  workers  in  all 
grades  of  mental  and  manual  labor,  there  must 
be  many  grades  of  position,  and  a  necessity  for 
many  kinds  of  work.  Without  that  necessity,  the 
world  would  stand  still.  But  the  contrasts  need 
not  be  so  great.  God's  arrangement  in  regard 
to  these  things  has  been  perverted.  Many  men 

28 


ENCOURAGEMENT  FOR  THE  POOR     29 

are  poorer  than  God  intended  them  to  be,  through 
their  lack  of  thrift,  or  their  evil  habits ;  and 
many  men  are  richer  than  they  ought  to  be, 
through  their  unjust  gains.  These  are  the 
things  which  engender  strife,  and  produce  suffer- 
ing, and  induce  some  to  call  for  a  communistic  di- 
vision of  property. 

If  those  who  find  themselves  low  in  the  scale  of 
social  position  are  filling  a  part  of  God's  plan, 
and  fill  it  honorably,  there  is  no  need  for  suffer- 
ing poverty.  If  those  who  are  rich  do  their 
duty,  no  one  has  reason  to  cry  out  against  them. 
Among  those  who  accept  their  condition  in  life 
as  an  inheritance,  and  consider  it  a  matter  of 
course  that  they  should  be  poor,  there  is  great 
contentment  in  earning  their  living  and  enjoy- 
ing what,  to  those  more  highly  favored,  would 
seem  meager  pleasures.  But  now  and  then  there 
is  among  them  one  who  feels  that  he  is  born  to 
better  things ;  one  who  is  not  satisfied  with  his 
lot,  and  who  tries  to  struggle  into  a  higher  plane. 
He  finds  no  congeniality  in  the  companionship  of 
his  associates.  They  cannot  understand  his  as- 
pirations for  something  higher  than  that  with 
which  they  are  amply  satisfied. 

This  is,  indeed,  an  unhappy  condition,  if  he 
think  only  of  himself.  But  may  he  not  believe 
that  his  influence  is  needed  by  his  companions, 
that  they,  left  to  themselves,  may  not  become  mere 
machines?  May  he  not  feel  that  his  receiving 
must  be  largely  through  giving;  that  his  grow- 


30          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

ing  must  be  through  much  pruning  and  cutting 
away  of  vines  to  be  planted  in  other  gardens? 

Does  not  the  branch  beaten  by  the  wind  and 
storm  grow  stronger?  Will  not  he,  through  his 
struggle  upward,  have  an  advantage  over  those 
who  are  born  in  luxury,  upon  whom  storms  seldom 
beat,  and  winds  never  blow?  Ought  any  one  to 
be  discouraged  who  is  ushered  into  the  world  with 
little  but  his  own  energy  to  carry  him  success- 
fully through  life?  With  good  health,  this  is 
enough.  He  is  face  to  face  with  the  world,  to 
fight  his  own  battles,  and  he  must  muster  all  his 
physical  and  mental  forces  to  fight  those  battles 
well,  and  gain  the  victory.  By  constant  exercise 
he  trains  and  strengthens  all  his  powers  for  best 
use.  To  be  dependent  on  his  own  resources 
makes  him  manly.  Work  is  noble;  and  you  who 
are  born  to  an  inheritance  of  self-support,  re- 
joice, rather  than  complain.  Put  aside  all  im- 
aginary necessities,  and  live  simply  and  temper- 
ately. If  opportunities  for  mental  culture 
do  not  readily  present  themselves,  make  oppor- 
tunities, and  doubly  improve  them,  so  that,  in  the 
end,  you  may  excel  those  whose  advantages  have 
been  great.  That  he  is  poor,  is  no  good  reason 
why  any  one  should  be  ignorant,  unrefined,  or 
unmanly. 

We  are  slow  to  learn  the  lesson  of  true  living, 
simple  as  it  is.  God  puts  us  wherever  he  wishes  us 
to  be.  There  are  means  within  easy  reach  for 
our  development  in  just  the  direction  in  which  he 


ENCOURAGEMENT  FOR  THE  POOR     31 

wishes  us  to  develop.  As  every  little  insect  or 
living  creature  in  embryo  is  placed  in  the  center 
of  that  which  it  will  feed  upon  until  it  reaches 
conditions  necessary  to  its  removal  to  a  more  ad- 
vanced stage  of  life,  so  God  places  us  in  the 
center  of  those  influences  which  are  to  feed  and 
mold  us  for  the  station  he  wishes  us  to  fill. 
Many  of  us  think  our  fare  rather  devoid  of  deli- 
cacies, and  wonder,  often,  why  things  have  not 
been  arranged  more  for  our  ease  and  comfort; 
and,  alas,  sometimes  we  refuse  to  feed  on  what 
God  provides,  and  try  to  satisfy  ourselves  with 
husks. 

If  all  would  take  up  their  work  just  where 
God  has  placed  them,  and  exhaust  the  resources 
of  their  immediate  surroundings,  use  everything 
at  their  command  until  it  is  past  use,  waste  noth- 
ing of  the  much  God  gives  to  every  one  whether 
he  be  rich  or  poor,  work  out  from  himself  into 
every  nook  and  corner  of  the  limits  placed  around 
him,  how  grandly  all  would  grow!  The  law  of 
compensation  is  God's  law,  and  his  creatures  are 
not  so  impartially  dealt  with,  after  all,  as  one 
might  suppose.  The  trouble  comes  from  oppor- 
tunities overlooked,  or  thrust  aside. 

Many  poor  people  are  unhappy  because  they 
consider  poverty  a  disgrace.  Their  pride  suf- 
fers. They  are  looked  down  upon  by  the  rich. 
Well,  what  if  they  are?  Does  this  injure  them? 
Wherein  lies  the  disgrace  of  poverty?  Hap- 
piness does  not  come  from  the  manner  in  which 


32          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

others  regard  us,  but  from  what  we  ourselves  are, 
and  from  sources  above  the  power  of  the  human 
to  bestow.  One  reason  why  the  rich  look  down 
upon  the  poor  is  because  they  associate  poverty 
with  ignorance  and  want  of  refinement.  This 
shows  a  lack  of  knowledge  of  their  fellow- 
creatures  ;  they  forget  how  many  leading  men 
come  from  the  ranks  of  lowly  life,  while  few  sons 
of  rich  men  reach  positions  of  great  honor  or 
large  influence. 

What  credit  is  it  to  a  man  to  be  rich  when 
his  wealth  is  inherited?  What  honor  is  it  to  have 
a  title  of  nobility,  when  that  title  is  either  bought 
or  inherited,  compared  with  the  credit  and  honor 
due  to  those  who  gain  through  their  own  honest 
and  well  directed  efforts  either  wealth  or  a  good 
name  ? 

The  Savior  of  the  world  gave  the  greatest  en- 
couragement that  could  be  given  to  the  poor,  by 
assuming  a  lowly  condition,  that  of  the  peasant 
and  the  laborer;  the  son  of  a  carpenter,  himself 
a  carpenter,  in  his  youth,  no  doubt,  helping  his 
father,  Joseph,  to  earn  their  daily  bread,  living 
the  simple  life  of  the  poor,  sharing  their  joys  and 
sorrows,  unnoticed  and  unknown  except  to  the 
little  circle  around  him,  finding  his  recreation  in 
the  quiet  and  beautiful  scenery  near  his  home, 
loving  nature  and  all  things  pure  and  beautiful. 
He  also  asserted  the  dignity  of  labor,  and  placed 
upon  it  the  seal  of  his  own  hand,  thus  showing 
sympathy  with,  and  approbation  of  honest  toil 


ENCOURAGEMENT  FOR  THE  POOR     33 

throughout  all  time,  and  removing  from  the  curse, 
"In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread 
till  thou  return  unto  the  ground,"  its  sharpest 
sting. 

The  Son  of  God,  the  Holy  One,  the  Beautiful 
One,  lived  thirty  years  in  poverty  and  toil,  and  in 
lowly  and  sweet  submission  to  his  lot,  unnoticed 
and  unknown ! 

Looking  on  this  picture,  which  is  not  imagin- 
ary, but  as  real  as  are  the  lowly  and  self-sacri- 
ficing lives  of  thousands  to-day,  need  any  one  feel 
that  poverty  is  a  disgrace,  or  that  any  toil  or 
deprivation  is  too  severe  to  be  endured  patiently 
for  his  sake? 

It  is  not  when  the  world  smiles  upon  us,  and 
all  our  earthly  path  is  smooth  and  joyous  that 
the  angels  come  and  go  upon  the  ladder  reaching 
heavenward,  bringing  us  messages  of  peace  from 
him  who  sits  upon  the  throne,  but  when  we  are 
alone,  fleeing  from  the  world  and  its  allurements, 
or  when  we  are  homeless  and  forsaken,  out  under 
the  stars  of  heaven,  the  earth  our  bed,  a  stone  our 
pillow,  and  God  our  only  refuge  and  strength. 
Nothing  can  cast  us  out  of  his  presence. 
He  will  take  us  up  quickly  when  men  forsake  us, 
and  take  us  finally  to  himself  to  enjoy  the  true 
riches  which  all,  however  poor  they  may  be  here, 
may  inherit  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  It  is  only 
when  poverty  is  accompanied  by  vice  that  it  is 
a  curse.  Go  into  the  thousands  of  humble  homes 
scattered  all  over  our  land,  and  see  how  peace 


34          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

and  contentment  reign  therein,  when,  in  many  in- 
stances, the  daily  toil  provides  for  the  day  itself, 
and  where  the  Savior's  "Take  no  thought  for  the 
morrow"  falls  a  welcome  sound  upon  their  ears ; 
for  how  can  they  take  thought  for  the  morrow 
whose  resources  are  sufficient  only  for  to-day? 
Fear  not  poverty  if  you  have  the  love  of  Jesus 
in  your  heart,  and  his  abiding  presence  in  your 
home.  If  you  love  him  not,  and  your  ways  are 
evil,  though  millions  of  money  are  at  your  com- 
mand, you  are  indeed  poor,  and  wretched,  and 
miserable ;  and  far  less  to  be  envied  than  the  poor 
man  who  does  not  know  to-day  where  he  will  find 
his  food  on  the  morrow,  but  whose  life  is  pure, 
whose  feet  are  upon  a  sure  foundation  which  will 
not  fail  him,  though  everything  else  totter  and 
fall,  though  the  earth  melt  and  pass  away. 


THAT  IT  MIGHT  BE  FULFILLED 

There  are  many  things  recorded  in  sacred  and 
profane  history  which,  at  the  time  of  their  occur- 
rence, seemed  disastrous  or  unfortunate,  which 
were  often  the  carrying  out  of  the  wicked  pur- 
poses of  men,  yet  which  happened  and  were  ac- 
complished that  God's  plan  concerning  the  world 
might  be  fulfilled.  All  can  recall  many  instances 
of  the  kind,  and  we  need  only  to  review  our  own 
lives  to  see  that  while  no  chastisement  for  the 
present  seems  joyous,  afterward  it  yields  the 
peaceable  fruit  of  righteousness ;  so  that  what- 
ever happens  we  need  not  let  our  hands  fall  down, 
nor  our  knees  become  feeble,  but  looking  unto 
Jesus  the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith,  run 
with  patience  the  race  set  before  us,  remember- 
ing that  while  God's  providences  are  mysterious, 
they  are  but  the  fulfillment  of  his  plans  concern- 
ing others  or  ourselves.  God's  purposes  are 
grand,  and  they  compass  the  ages.  We  catch 
only  glimpses  of  what  he  is  doing.  We  are  only 
unshapely  masses  of  unhewn  stone  tumbled  in 
confusion  here  and  there,  and  tall  cedars  and  fir- 
trees  spreading  their  roots  and  branches  on 
mountain  heights,  and  gold  and  precious  stones 

35 


36          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

imbedded  still  in  solid  rock,  or  still  seething  in 
the  furnace.  We  cannot  see,  even  in  imagina- 
tion, the  beautiful  building  the  great  Architect 
will  bring  forth  from  that  which  is  now  rough 
and  unshapely. 

From  chaos  he  wrought  our  world  of  beauty, 
and  sun,  moon  and  stars  are  obedient  to  his  com- 
mand— "Let  there  be  light!"  not  withholding  for 
a  moment  their  bright  rays,  going  on  steadily  in 
their  appointed  way  until  their  great  glory  is 
hidden  by  the  Greater  Glory  whose  light  shall 
fill  all  heaven  and  earth!  In  the  same  manner 
will  God  bring  his  spiritual  kingdom  from  its 
present  chaotic  state  into  glory  and  beauty  un- 
fading, and  which,  though  the  heavens  may  fall, 
will  stand  throughout  eternity. 

God  has  a  use  for  each  one  of  us  in  carrying 
out  his  plan,  insignificant  and  useless  as  our  lives 
may  often  seem.  Not  everything  of  value  is  con- 
spicuous or  significant.  Hidden  things  are  often 
of  as  much  consequence  in  the  accomplishment  of 
a  great  purpose  as  those  which  are  visible.  We 
are  very  small  parts  of  a  very  large  whole,  and 
all  the  misfortune  and  unhappiness  which  ever 
came  to  us  is  but  a  grain  in  the  accumlated 
weight  of  human  woe.  If  it  be  necessary  that 
we  should  be  crushed  and  bruised  in  order  to  be 
ready  for  the  Master's  use,  ought  we  not  to  be 
willing  to  be  crushed  and  bruised? 

Whatever  is  needful  to  prepare  us  to  fill  our 
appointed  place  in  God's  great  plan,  we  should 


THAT  IT  MIGHT  BE  FULFILLED      37 

be  willing  to  receive,  no  matter  what  chipping 
away  of  cherished  forms  and  lineaments  there 
might  be.  It  matters  not  whether  we  become 
beams  of  cedar,  planks  of  fir,  posts  of  olive  tree, 
costly  stones,  or  pure  gold,  we  cannot  have  this 
fitness  for  use  without  being  hewn,  or  polished, 
or  refined. 

All  things  are  being  made  ready  for  the  temple 
which  will  never  be  destroyed.  Shall  we  allow 
ourselves  to  be  thrust  aside  as  useless,  because 
we  are  not  willing  to  submit  to  the  process  of 
preparation?  Because  we  are  not  willing  that 
unpleasant  things  should  happen  to  us  that  all 
may  be  fulfilled  according  to  God's  purpose? 

Let  us  be  careful  not  to  make  ourselves,  in  our 
own  imagination,  the  center  of  God's  care,  ex- 
pecting him  to  grant  us  especial  favor.  He  has 
a  large  family,  and  all  the  good  things  are  not 
given  to  a  chosen  few.  Sometimes  it  may  be 
necessary  for  us  to  suffer  in  order  that  others 
may  be  helped  in  some  way  by  that  suffering. 
We  are  called  upon  to  be  losers,  perhaps,  that 
others  may  be  the  gainers.  The  burden  and  heat 
of  the  day  must  sometimes  be  ours  that  others 
may  rest.  "Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens,  and 
so  fulfill  the  law  of  God,"  is  a  divine  command. 
Let  us  hold  ourselves  ready  to  be  used  by  the 
great  Master  Builder  in  whatever  way  he  wills. 
Whether  he  make  of  us  brazen  pillars,  or  only 
modest  lilies  for  the  adornment  of  these  pillars,  is 
a  matter  of  little  moment.  That  he  counts  us 


38          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

worthy  of  even  the  humblest  service,  is  a  cause 
for  our  deepest  gratitude.  If  his  will  be  ful- 
filled, however  it  may  affect  us,  it  is  enough.  So 
instead  of  fretting  and  regretting  and  wondering 
whether  if  we  had  done  thus  and  so  things  would 
be  different,  let  us  leave  the  past,  present  and 
future  with  God,  and  earnestly  seek  to  be  willing 
that  his  will  only  be  done.  Harmony  cannot  be 
wrought  out  of  chaos  without  many  severe  proc- 
esses which  God  only  can  understand  or  apply. 
In  whatever  degree  we  are  rebellious  toward  him, 
to  that  extent  do  we  hinder  the  drawing  nigh  of 
the  time  when  Christ  shall  reign  triumphant  over 
all  evil,  and  God's  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is 
in  heaven. 

In  order  that  God's  will  may  be  fulfilled, 
many  things  happen  which  we  cannot  understand. 
When  misfortune  overwhelms  us,  let  us  bear  up 
bravely  with  the  thought  that  it  has  something  to 
do  with  the  fulfillment  of  the  divine  will.  When 
our  friends  die,  it  is  that  his  will  may  be  fulfilled. 
When  sickness  is  our  portion,  or  when  our  cher- 
ished purposes  fail,  it  is  that  God's  will  con- 
cerning us  in  reference  to  the  advancement  of 
his  kingdom  may  be  fulfilled.  Even  our  most 
humiliating  mistakes  may  have  a  '"That  it  might 
be  fulfilled"  connected  with  them. 

Considered  in  this  light,  there  is  no  real  mis- 
fortune; and  if  we  are  in  harmony  with  the  will 
of  God,  what  we  now  call  chastisements  will  be 
regarded  as  blessings. 


THAT  IT  MIGHT  BE  FULFILLED     39 

When  the  day  comes  for  that  grand  and  silent 
building  of  the  Eternal  Temple,  when  neither 
hammer  nor  ax,  nor  any  tool  of  iron  may  be 
heard,  shall  we  be  left  out  because  we  are  not  will- 
ing to  be  made  ready  in  God's  own  way? 

'  'Tis  the  Master  who  holds  the  mallet, 

And  day  by  day 

He  is  chipping  whatever  environs 
The  form  away. 

With  tools  of  thy  choosing,  Master, 

I  pray  thee  then, 
Strike  just  as  thou  wilt;  as  often 

And  where  and  when 
The  vehement  stroke  is  needed, 

I  will  not  mind, 
If  only  the  chipping  chisel 

Shall  leave  behind 
Such  marks  of  thy  wondrous  working, 

And  loving  skill, 
Clear  carven  on  aspect,  stature, 

And  face,  as  will 
(When  discipline's  ends  are  over), 

Have  all  sufficed 
To  mold  me  into  the  likeness 

And  form  of  Christ." 


VI 
BE  PATIENT  NOW 

"Oh,  give  me  patience,  Christ,  for  this  day's  need; 
And  lest  I  halt  or  falter  by  the  way, 
Do  thou  with  tender,  loving,  pierced  hand, 
Beside  me  walk,  and  lead  me  all  the  day." 

What  need  we  mothers  have  to  pray  this  prayer! 
For  life  is  like  a  tangled  skein;  and  if 
We  in  our  haste  and  want  of  patience  catch 
And  pull,  and  tie  each  knot  more  tightly  still, 
Or  break  the  threads,  why,  then  our  life  is  full 
Of  knots  and  broken  threads ;  but,  if  our  tasks 
Be  done  with  sweetness  and  with  patience,  then 
From  knots  and  tangles  freed,  the  life  is  smooth 
And  ready  to  be  used  for  others'  needs, 
As  well  as  for  our  own. 

So  when  our  cares 

Press  heavily,  and  brain  and  heart  are  weak, 
And  longing  for  a  little  rest  and  peace, 
We  speak  in  tones  too  harsh  for  mother's  lips, 
"Be  quiet,  boys !"  and  gentle  eyes  seek  ours, 
As  if  to  wonder  why  mamma  is  cross 
To-day,  and  why  she  meddles  with  their  play 
So  needlessly — does  it  not  often  seem 
To  us  that  if  we  kept  in  mind  this  prayer 
And  said  it  o'er  and  o'er,  we  should  be  less 
Annoyed  at  children's  noise,  and  other  things 
Too  trivial  to  name? 

40 


BE  PATIENT  NOW  41 

It  is  not  right 

To  hush  too  much  the  noise  of  children's  play, 
Or  put  too  much  restraint  upon  their  acts. 
They  need  to  have  their  freedom,  like  the  birds 
And  flowers,  to  sing  their  own  sweet  songs,  and  grow 
Their  own  sweet  way.     Too  much  restraint  defeats 
Our  purposes.     And  so  we  need  to  have 
Of  patience,  largest  store ;  and  need  to  watch 
And  pray,  and  hide  in  Christ,  and  lose  ourselves 
In  him,  that  he  may  speak  through  us  in  tones 
Of  gentlest  love,  that  his  sweet  patience  may 
Be  ours ;  and  thus  our  mother-love  so  strong 
And  deep,  be  strong  and  deep  in  every  word 
And  act  of  daily  life;  for  love  should  reign 
In  homes  as  well  as  hearts ;  for  of  what  use 
Is  love  which  feels,  but  never  acts?     What  use 
Is  love  which  hides  itself,  and  blesses  her 
Alone  who  loves,  and  not  the  one  beloved? 
What  use  is  any  sweetness  in  our  hearts 
If  that  same  sweetness  does  not  breathe  through  all 
Our  words  and  works? 

If  only  when  our  boy 

Lies  deep  beneath  the  snow,  or  when  the  sun 
With  loving  tenderness  sends  warmest  rays 
To  kiss  the  little  violet-covered  mound 
Where  buried  lie  our  dearest  earthly  hopes, 
We  say,  "Oh,  if  I  had  my  baby  back 
Once  more,  if  I  could  hold  him  in  my  arms 
And  feel  his  soft,  warm  cheek  against  my  own, 
And  hold  his  tiny  hand  and  hear  him  lisp 
The  sweet,  sweet  words  I  used  to  hear  him  say, 
And  feel  his  little  arms  around  my  neck, 
I'd  be  as  patient  as  the  day  is  long!" 
If  only  then,  what  vain  regrets  are  ours ! 


42          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

Oh,  if  we  have  sweet  flowers  for  our  boys, 
Or  for  our  girls,  then  let  us  give  them  now ! 
For  tender  cherishing,  and  patient  words, 
And  crowns  of  flowers,  rosebuds  in  the  hand, 
Or  in  the  casket  wreathes  of  lilies  white, 
Or  violets  sweet,  are  given  too  late  to  bring 
Joy  to  their  hearts,  or  ours. 

Be  patient  now ! 

Be  tender,  loving,  now!     Give  all  the  wealth 
Of  mother-love  in  such  a  way  that  it 
Will  fill  their  lives  with  joy;  and  not  reserve 
It  for  their  burial;  as  many  things 
Too  good  for  common  use  are  laid  away 
On  shelves,  or  kept  in  darkened  rooms  which,  oft, 
Past  natural  use,  cause  vain  regrets  alone. 
Give  royally  your  gifts ;  and  scatter  flowers 
Beneath  the  feet  you  love  so  well;  and  crown 
With  loving  tenderness  the  little  ones 
Who  soon  may  in  God's  garden  pluck  sweet  flowers, 
And  sing  the  heavenly  songs,  and  wear  gold  crowns ! 


VII 
OUR  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 

What  greater  or  better  gift  can  we  offer  to  the  Republic 
than  to  teach  and  instruct  our  youth? — Cicero. 

It  is  of  the  coming  generations  of  citizens  that 
we  speak  when  we  say  "our  girls  and  boys,"  of 
little  men  and  women  for  whom  we  are  respon- 
sible, not  only  while  they  are  children,  but, 
largely,  after  they  reach  manhood  and  woman- 
hood; for  "as  the  twig  is  bent,  the  tree  is  in- 
clined." The  natural  caretaker  and  educator  of 
the  child  is  the  mother,  who  should  take  all  pos- 
sible pains  to  educate  herself  for  this  holy  trust, 
this  great  responsibility  which  begins  with  the 
first  breath  of  the  infant,  and  ends  only  with  life. 
From  the  first  dawn  of  intelligence,  the  child 
should  be  taught  obedience,  truthfulness,  and  self- 
control;  long  words  to  apply  to  the  education  of 
an  infant,  but  a  wise  mother  who  is  worthy  to 
hold  in  her  possession  an  immortal  being,  knows 
just  how  to  so  simplify  these  principles  of  true 
living  that  the  youngest  child  may  understand 
the  spirit  of  them. 

The  first  thing  to  be  taught  our  girls  and  boys 
is  unquestioning  obedience  to  our  commands. 
Home  government  is  not  difficult,  if  wisely  and 

43 


44          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

consistently  administered;  but,  alas!  how  often  it 
is  unwise,  capricious,  defeating  its  own  ends, 
bringing  trouble  to  both  child  and  parent ;  some- 
times broken  lives,  broken  hearts,  crimes,  even,  re- 
sulting from  the  fault  of  the  parents  in  their 
manner  of  rearing  their  children.  Law  is  a 
necessity  in  every  phase  of  life ;  but  law  without 
its  careful  and  just  enforcement,  is  void.  The 
child  must  always  be  under  law;  first  at  home, 
then  at  school,  then  in  society  and  in  relation  to 
the  State  and  Nation,  and  always  under  the  law 
of  God.  The  sooner  the  child  can  be  made  to 
understand  this,  by  careful  and  gentle  teaching, 
appealing  to  his  reason,  the  better.  Obedience  is 
the  foundation  of  good  citizenship,  and  of  true 
religion.  The  child  should  be  taught  that  the 
parent,  also,  must  be  obedient  to  higher  powers ; 
then  he  will  not  be  so  impatient  of  restraint,  and 
he  will  not  constantly  look  forward  with  delight- 
ful anticipation  to  the  time  when  he  is  of  age,  and 
can  have  his  own  way.  When  I  was  a  child,  I 
thought  it  would  be  one  of  the  happiest  days  of 
my  life  when  I  grew  up  and  could  have  all  the 
honey  I  wanted  from  a  certain  blue  sugar-bowl, 
where  it  was  kept  for  medicinal  purposes.  But 
when  I  did  grow  up,  I  no  longer  wanted  the  honey, 
and  having  my  own  way  was  still  unattainable! 

Self-assertion  and  a  consciousness  of  certain 
rights  and  prerogatives  belonging  to  them  are  in- 
herent in  all  children  in  a  greater  or  less  degree. 
It  is  the  man  and  the  woman  struggling  within 


OUR  GIRLS  AND  BOYS  45 

them  before  they  have  the  wisdom  to  discriminate 
between  the  right  and  the  wrong  time  in  which  to 
assert  themselves.  "I  have  a  right  to  do  it 
mamma,"  said  a  boy  of  eight  years  in  reply  to 
her  wish  that  he  should  not  do  a  certain  thing. 

A  father  punished  his  little  boy  for  going  on 
the  ice  repeatedly,  when  he  had  been  forbidden 
to  do  so,  by  ducking  him.  Four  times  he  ducked 
him  in  the  ice-cold  water,  and  each  time  the  boy 
said,  with  his  teeth  chattering,  "Do  it  again, 
papa !  Do  it  again !" 

A  boy  was  in  the  habit  of  teasing  for  pickles, 
pepper,  mustard,  etc.,  at  the  table.  One  day  his 
mother  thought  she  would  cure  him  of  wishing 
for  these  forbidden  things.  She  put  a  large 
quantity  of  mustard  on  a  piece  of  meat  and  gave 
it  to  him.  He  put  it  in  his  mouth,  chewed  it  vig- 
orously, choking,  and  with  tears  in  his  eyes ;  but 
he  persevered,  and  swallowed  it,  and  then  called 
out,  "Dood,  mamma!  Dood!"  Another  boy  of 
two  and  a  half  years  was  very  mischievous,  and 
one  of  his  tricks  was  to  throw  whatever  he  could 
find,  stove-handle,  or  glass  bottle  or  other  danger- 
ous thing  out  of  the  open  window  so  quickly  that 
it  was  impossible  to  prevent  him.  Then  he  would 
stand  in  front  of  his  mamma,  back  to  her,  and 
say,  "Pank,  mamma,  pank!"  Sometimes  he 
would  scold  himself  when  he  had  done  wrong. 
"Naughty  Ralphie!  Naughty,  naughty  Ralphie!" 
And  you  wonder  how  any  mother  could  help  smil- 
ing and  catching  him  to  her  heart  with  a  hug  and 


46         HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

a  kiss,  instead  of  administering  the  reproof  the 
little  fellow  deserved.  Mothers  need  not  worry 
too  much  over  the  persistent  disobedience  of  such 
boys ;  they  have  in  them  the  grit  of  mighty  men 
of  valor. 

When  we  who  are  now  in  the  prime  of  life,  or 
older,  were  children,  we  reverenced  our  parents, 
and  thought  it  a  dreadful  thing  to  disobey  them. 
In  many  families  the  old  order  of  things  is  re- 
versed, and  parents,  in  many  instances,  obey  their 
children.  Mothers  are  often  heard  to  say,  ap- 
parently without  shame  or  regret,  "I  can  do 
nothing  with  this  child.  She  does  not  pretend  to 
obey  me."  This  is  usually  said  in  the  presence 
of  the  child.  Wherever  there  are  children,  "I 
will"  and  "I  won't,"  "I  shall"  and  "I  shan't,"  are 
often  heard,  with  feeble  protest  if  any  at  all  on 
the  part  of  the  parent.  Their  naughty  words 
and  deeds  are  looked  upon  as  cunning,  and  the 
parents  laugh  instead  of  reproving,  and  before 
they  realize  their  mistake,  their  boys  and  girls 
are  beyond  control,  naughty,  self-willed  and 
selfish. 

While  it  is  wrong  to  nag  a  child  continually, 
and  while  many  of  their  tricks,  which  they  soon 
forget,  should  receive  little  notice,  the  difference 
between  right  and  wrong  should  be  always  kept 
before  them.  This  can  be  taught  more  effectu- 
ally by  story  or  song  than  in  any  other  way. 
Much  can  be  accomplished  with  a  naughty  or 
grieved  child  by  diverting  his  attention.  A 


OUR  GIRLS  AND  BOYS  47 

gentleman  noticed  two  little  boys  on  their  way  to 
school.  The  smaller  one  fell,  and  though  he  was 
not  much  hurt,  he  began  to  whine  in  a  baby  way. 
The  older  boy  took  his  hand  in  a  kind,  fatherly 
way,  and  said,  "Oh,  never  mind,  Jimmie,  don't 
whine ;  it  is  a  great  deal  better  to  whistle."  And 
he  began  in  the  merriest  way,  a  cheerful  boy 
whistle.  Jimmie  tried  to  follow  his  example.  "I 
can't  whistle  as  nice  as  you  can,  Charlie,  my 
mouth  won't  pucker  up  good." 

"Oh,  that  is  because  you  have  not  got  all  the 
whine  out  yet,"  said  Charlie;  "but  try  a  minute, 
and  the  whistle  will  soon  drive  all  the  whine 
away."  So  he  did,  and  the  last  the  gentleman 
saw  of  the  little  fellows  they  were  whistling  away 
as  if  that  were  the  chief  object  of  their  lives. 
This  teaches  a  lesson  we  should  all  do  well  to 
heed.  A  story,  a  whistle,  or  a  song  will  often 
divert  the  attention  of  the  child,  and  cure  many  a 
pain,  and  grief,  and  naughty  mood.  Badness  in 
the  heart  will  always  retreat  from  the  presence 
of  that  which  is  pleasant,  and  good,  and  lovely. 

Many  persons  seem  to  think  that  any  one  of 
ordinary  intelligence  can  properly  have  the  care 
and  instruction  of  a  young  child.  The  best 
educators  think  otherwise.  "No  unskilled  hand 
should  play  upon  a  harp  where  the  tones  are 
left  forever  in  the  strings!"  If  you  wished  to 
build  a  house,  would  you  employ  careless  or 
ignorant  workmen  to  lay  the  foundation?  Of 
how  much  greater  importance  is  the  foundation 


48          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

of  your  child's  character!  If  you  had  a  field 
in  which  you  wished  to  raise  the  best  grain,  you 
would  take  great  care  to  have  the  ground  prop- 
erly prepared.  You  would  procure  the  best  seed 
in  the  market,  and  have  it  sown  in  the  right  man- 
ner, and  carefully  tended,  that  no  weeds  might 
spring  up  to  choke  the  grain.  You  would  take 
a  personal  interest  in  the  matter,  and  not  leave 
it  entirely  to  hirelings. 

The  mind  of  your  child  is  a  most  receptive 
field  into  which  some  sort  of  seed  will  surely  fall, 
to  spring  up  and  grow  and  ripen  for  the  harvest. 
Will  you  neglect  the  sowing  and  leave  to  chance 
the  welfare  of  your  own  offspring?  Amiel  says, 
"In  the  moral  world  there  is  no  ground  without 
a  master,  and  waste  lands  belong  to  the  Evil 
One."  See  that  there  are  no  "waste  lands"  in 
the  hearts  and  minds  of  your  children,  and  that 
the  good  land  is  well  cultivated;  then  you  may 
be  sure  of  an  abundant  harvest  of  all  things 
good,  and  pure,  and  noble  in  the  lives  of  your 
girls  and  boys,  of  your  men  and  women! 

Cicero  says,  "There  is  no  place  more  delight- 
ful than  one's  own  fireside."  There  is,  truly,  no 
place  more  delightful  when  love  and  good  sense 
reign  in  the  home,  when  the  father  and  mother 
are  one  in  the  management  of  the  children,  when 
all  talk  or  discussion  about  them  in  their  pres- 
ence is  avoided,  and  when  even  the  youngest  has 
some  share  in  the  responsibility  of  making  a 
happy  home. 


OUR  GIRLS  AND  BOYS  49 

If  possible,  children  should  be  brought  up  in 
a  home,  and  not  in  a  boarding-house  or  hotel,  for 
many  reasons.  However  humble  it  may  be,  let 
there  be  a  home  around  which  interests  and  affec- 
tions may  center,  and  from  which  the  young 
people  may  go  out  into  the  world  with  the  pa- 
rental blessing  and  the  hallowed  influences  of  home 
life. 

"Where  do  you  live?"  asked  a  kindly  old 
gentleman  of  a  little  girl. 

"We  don't  live,"  she  replied  in  unconscious* 
sarcasm,  "we  board." 

A  love  of  home  should  be  cultivated  while  the 
children  are  young.  Give  your  girls  the  highest 
education  they  desire,  but  do  not  fail  to  train 
them  to  be  good  wives  and  mothers,  and  good 
home-makers.  Choose  companions  for  your  girls 
and  boys,  that  there  may  be  no  opportunity  for 
haphazard  acquaintances.  We  should  make  our- 
selves one  with  our  children  and  young  people, 
and  join  in  their  sports  and  recreations.  We 
should  see  that  they  have  all  that  healthful  na- 
ture craves  in  the  way  of  amusements  at  home, 
or  at  the  home  of  friends  of  whom  we  approve. 

When  sons  and  daughters  are  trained  for  use- 
fulness, there  will  be  fewer  unhappy  marriages, 
and  divorces  will  be  less  frequent.  When  a 
mother  works  hard  that  her  daughter  may  have 
white  hands  and  polished  nails,  be  sure  that  she 
is  preparing  her  for  disappointment  and  unhap- 
piness.  The  result  of  such  rearing  to  both 


50          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

mother  and  daughter  is  inestimable.  It  is  not 
at  all  certain  that  she  will  marry  a  man  who  will 
be  able  to  keep  her  in  idleness,  and  even  men  of 
wealth  prefer  women  for  wives  rather  than  dolls. 
No  girl's  education  is  complete  without  a  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  everything  pertaining  to  the 
home.  Every  girl  and  boy  should  be  taught  how 
to  earn  a  living  at  need.  There  is  no  room  in 
this  world  of  work  and  great  responsibilities  for 
idle  young  women  and  helpless  young  men. 

Habits  that  are  formed  in  youth  are  likely  to 
continue  through  life.  If  girls  and  boys  are  led  in 
right  ways,  it  will  become  second  nature  to  use 
proper  language,  to  be  studious  and  diligent,  neat 
and  orderly,  respectful  and  obedient,  thoughtful 
of  the  feelings  of  others,  and  helpful  everywhere. 
Let  us  turn  their  feet  into  right  paths,  which,  the 
older  they  grow,  will  be  more  and  more  to  them 
the  paths  of  righteousness  and  peace. 

There  is  no  book  in  which  the  children  are  more 
interested  than  the  Bible,  the  daily  reading  of 
which  is  so  important. 

"Read  more !  Mamma,  read  more !"  was  the  com- 
mon request  of  a  boy  of  three  years,  when  his 
mother  had  finished  her  daily  reading  of  the  Bible 
in  words  which  he  could  understand.  Song  is  of 
great  use  in  the  education  of  a  child.  Dr.  Tal- 
mage  said:  "Christ  ought  to  be  the  cradle  song. 
What  our  mothers  sang  to  us  when  they  put  us 
to  sleep,  is  singing  yet." 

Nathaniel    Hawthorne   had    a   little   daughter 


OUR  GIRLS  AND  BOYS  51 

who  was  fond  of  making  up  stories  to  amuse  her 
youngest  brother.  One  day  she  was  overheard 
telling  him  of  a  boy  who  was  so  naughty  that  he 
grew  naughtier  and  naughtier,  and  every  day  grew 
naughtier  still,  until  at  last,  at  last,  he  struck 
God !  Teach  the  boys  and  girls  that  every  wrong 
act,  every  unkind  or  untrue  word  of  theirs  strikes 
God!  That  they  cannot  do  a  wicked  thing  that 
hurts  some  one  else,  without  hurting  God. 

Let  there  be  the  closest  possible  intimacy  be- 
tween parents  and  children.  Enter  into  the  lives 
of  your  children  heartily.  Give  them  the  infor- 
mation they  will  surely  seek.  Anticipate  their 
natural  curiosity  on  certain  subjects  by  discreet 
revelations  from  time  to  time.  Teach  them  mod- 
esty and  purity,  and  how  to  avoid  evil  compan- 
ions. Try  to  see  things  from  their  standpoint. 
The  more  you  do  this,  the  more  will  they  learn  to 
look  at  things  from  your  own  standpoint  of 
greater  knowledge  and  experience.  Hold  their 
confidence  as  a  priceless  treasure.  Let  nothing 
separate  you  from  their  loving  trustfulness.  Let 
nothing  mar  the  beauty  of  the  closest  intimacy. 

When  boys  and  girls  have  an  especial  bent  in 
any  direction,  it  ought  to  be  encouraged.  Na- 
ture is  the  best  guide  to  a  successful  career  in  life. 
When  young  men  and  young  women  mistake  their 
calling,  it  is  often  through  following  the  advice  or 
obeying  the  commands  of  an  unwise  father.  The 
power-loom  was  the  invention  of  a  boy  who  made 
a  model  with  his  pocket-knife.  He  showed  the 


52          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

model  to  his  father,  who  immediately  kicked  it  to 
pieces,  saying  that  he  would  have  no  boy  about 
him  who  would  spend  his  time  with  such  foolish- 
ness. He  sent  the  boy  to  a  blacksmith  to  learn 
a  trade.  The  boy  made  another  model,  and 
showed  it  to  his  master,  who  saw  that  he  had  no 
common  boy  as  apprentice,  and  that  the  invention 
was  valuable.  He  had  a  loom  constructed  under 
the  supervision  of  the  boy.  It  worked  to  their 
perfect  satisfaction,  and  the  blacksmith  furnished 
the  money  to  manufacture  the  looms,  while  the 
boy  received  half  the  profits.  Imagine  the  sur- 
prise of  the  father  when  he  learned  that  his  son 
had  become  a  famous  inventor. 

Mrs.  Browning  said  that  souls  were  dangerous 
things  to  carry  straight  through  all  the  spilt  salt- 
petre of  the  world.  We  all  know  how  true  that 
is.  Trials  and  temptations  are  on  every  hand. 
Wickedness,  often  too  vile  to  name,  flaunts  itself 
before  our  children  and  young  people.  In  order 
to  avoid  these  things,  they  must  be  well  grounded 
in  knowledge  and  character.  They  must  know 
what  they  have  to  meet,  and  how  to  meet  it.  It  is 
unpardonable  to  keep  them  too  long  in  ignorance 
of  themselves,  or  of  their  surroundings.  Upon 
fathers,  mothers,  instructors,  the  responsibility 
rests  heavily.  They  should  all  teach  by  example 
as  well  as  by  precept.  A  boy  of  thirteen  sat  at 
table  with  his  father.  There  was  wine  on  the 
table.  The  waiter  asked  the  boy  what  he  would 
take.  "I'll  take  what  father  takes,"  was  his  re- 


OUR  GIRLS  AND  BOYS  53 

ply.  The  father  had  his  hand  on  the  decanter 
just  ready  to  pour  out  the  wine,  and  he  dropped 
it  as  if  it  were  fire.  Laying  his  hand  lovingly  on 
the  head  of  the  boy,  he  said,  "Waiter,  I'll  take 
water." 

Sometimes  parents  teach  their  children  by  their 
own  example  to  deceive  and  tell  falsehoods,  and 
then  punish  them  for  deception  and  untruthful- 
ness.  When  asked  his  age  by  a  railroad  con- 
ductor, a  boy  said,  "At  home,  I'm  twelve;  but 
when  we  are  in  the  cars,  my  mother  says  I'm  only 
ten."  Profane  fathers  must  expect  to  have  pro- 
fane sons.  A  boy  who  was  heard  to  swear  was 
told  that  he  must  ask  God  to  forgive  him.  His 
mother  followed  him  to  his  room  to  see  that  he 
obeyed  her.  He  knelt  down  and  said  in  a  surly 
tone,  "O  God,  I'm  sorry  I  said  a  bad  word;  but 
I  want  you  to  hurry  and  grow  me  up  quick  so  as 
I  can  swear  like  father  does,  and  then  you 
wouldn't  mind  it." 

When  we  are  walking  out  on  a  frosty  morning 
in  Autumn,  we  often  see  the  perfect  form  of  the 
leaves  left  upon  the  sidewalk  where  they  have  lain 
all  night,  or  perhaps  for  an  hour  or  two.  Just 
as  perfect  is  the  impression  of  our  lives  upon  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  our  children.  Therefore  we 
need  to  watch  and  pray  and  use  great  care  lest 
we  mar  the  beauty  of  the  wonderful  beings  God 
has  committed  to  our  keeping. 

The  Rev.  Basil  Wilberforce,  canon  of  West- 
minster, writes :  "My  bird  knows  a  sweet  little  Ger- 


54          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

man  song,  'Ich  liebe  dich'  (I  love  you),  but  I 
can  get  him  to  sing  it  only  by  standing  before 
his  cage,  whistling  the  tune  myself,  smiling  upon 
him  and  making  myself  as  much  at  home  with  him 
as  possible."  In  this  manner  we  may  lead  our 
children  to  follow  our  example  by  singing  sweet 
songs  ourselves,  if  we  would  have  their  hearts  at- 
tuned to  perfect  melody. 


VIII 
COMMON  SENSE  IN  RELIGION 

How  much  contentment  and  true  happiness  is 
missed  by  the  lack  of  common  sense  in  every  day 
living.  It  is  a  rare  thing  to  find  a  person  who  is 
earnest  and  sensible,  and  who  does  not  feel  com- 
pelled to  do  as  others  do,  who  has  the  moral  cour- 
age to  depart  from  the  rules  and  conventionalisms 
of  "society,"  and  to  face  boldly  and  with  true 
dignity  the  false  judgments  and  ridicule  of  those 
who  believe  him  to  be  ignorant  of  the  same,  be- 
cause he  does  not  conform  to  them  strictly  enough 
to  meet  their  approbation. 

What  people  say,  and  what  people  think  are 
often  more  weighty  considerations  than  his  own 
interests,  absurd  as  this  may  seem  when  we  reflect 
upon  it.  It  is  important,  in  his  own  estimation, 
that  life  should  be  a  grand  performance.  The 
world  must  be  pleased,  otherwise  life  cannot  be  a 
success.  To  this  end  there  is  a  constant  struggle 
to  keep  up  appearances,  to  so  conduct  himself 
that  he  may  seem  to  have  more  money  than  he 
really  has,  that  he  is  better  born  than  he  really  is, 
and,  in  general,  to  shine  with  a  false  light.  The 
effort  to  keep  this  light  burning  requires  the  sac- 
rifice of  many  comforts,  robs  him  of  content  and 
rest,  and  is  a  servitude  which  he  assumes  to  please 

55 


56          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

others,  when,  in  all  probability,  he  does  not  please 
them,  after  all  his  efforts. 

Many  live  beyond  their  means,  hoping  for  some- 
thing unusual  to  occur  in  time  to  save  them  from 
disaster.  Others  live  up  to  their  means  so  closely 
that  when  there  is  an  unexpected  demand  upon 
them,  they  are  in  trouble.  To  what  end  is  this 
hazardous  way  of  living?  For  comfort?  It  can- 
not give  comfort.  It  can  only  bring  care  and 
anxiety,  and  the  miserable  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing that  what  the  world  looks  upon  is  fair,  with 
nothing  to  excite  the  suspicion  that  poverty  or 
even  limited  circumstances  may  be  lurking  about; 
and  to  this  poor  end,  personal  good  sense,  com- 
fort and  happiness  are  sacrificed. 

When  Jesus  tells  us  that  we  need  take  no 
thought  for  the  morrow,  he  takes  it  for  granted 
that  we  are  using  wisely  and  prudently  the  things 
of  to-day,  and  not  wasting  money  in  extrava- 
gance or  useless  display  to  convince  our  neighbors 
that  we  are  persons  of  importance.  He  would  not 
do  that.  When  on  the  earth  he  sought  not  to 
win  the  praise  of  the  world  by  display.  How 
simply  and  plainly  he  lived !  Cannot  we  all  learn 
from  him  a  lesson  essential  to  the  highest  good 
of  multitudes  of  people,  indeed,  to  every  one, 
whether  in  the  church  or  in  the  world? 

A  little  boy  was  teasing  his  papa  to  buy  him 
something,  and  his  papa  replied,  "You  want  too 
many  things."  "Buy  me  too  many  things !"  was 
the  answer.  Grown  up  children  want  too  many 


COMMON  SENSE  IN  RELIGION       57 

things.  Never  satisfied  with  what  they  have, 
they  clamor  for  more,  and  more.  They  look  no 
farther  than  this  life,  and  so  overrate  the  value 
of  some  things,  and  underrate  the  value  of  others. 
If  money  increases  their  needs  increase  in  propor- 
tion, so  that  they  are  really  no  better  off  with  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  than  they  were  with  thou- 
sands. Instead  of  using  their  newly  acquired 
wealth  for  purposes  productive  of  real  benefit, 
they  pull  down  houses  already  comfortable,  and 
large  enough  for  their  necessities,  in  order  to 
build  larger  ones ;  then  more  servants  must  be 
employed ;  in  every  direction  expenses  must  be  in- 
creased, in  order  that  the  appointments  of  their 
homes  may  be  in  accordance  with  prevailing  cus- 
toms among  those  whose  favor  they  would  gain. 

Why  not  meet  the  real  condition  of  things 
wisely  and  bravely?  Why  court  the  favor  of 
those  whose  opinion  of  you  is  based  upon  external 
matters?  Why  not  give  up  the  foolish  and  inef- 
fectual struggle  with  pride?  What  matter  is  it 
whether  you  are  thought  to  be  rich  or  poor,  in 
high  or  in  middle  station?  Of  what  consequence 
is  it  that  the  rich  should  be  your  friends,  if  you 
are  not  rich?  They  have  the  whole  world  from 
which  to  choose  their  favorites.  It  is  natural 
that  they  should  choose  them  from  their  own  sta- 
tion. It  is  as  if  the  violet  should  wish  to  be  a 
rose,  or  the  rose  a  sunflower,  for  us  to  wish  to 
emulate  those  who,  in  the  opinion  of  the  world,  are 
above  us.  As  the  flowers  have  their  own  form, 


58          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

and  color,  and  fragrance,  each  beautiful  and  joy- 
giving,  so  have  we,  each  one,  a  place  and  mission ; 
so  have  we  our  own  capacity  for  growth  and  use- 
fulness. 

To  God,  there  is  no  above  nor  below,  except 
as  regards  character,  and  spiritual  growth.  To 
attain  to  the  highest  excellence  in  your  sphere  of 
action,  to  be  all  that  God  meant  you  to  be  when 
he  created  you,  to  use  all  the  resources  at  your 
command  for  growth,  and  bloom,  and  fruit  as  do 
all  growing  things  in  nature,  will  leave  you  no 
time  and  no  inclination  to  cultivate  useless  friend- 
ships, or  to  carry  needless  burdens.  You  need 
not  envy  those  above  you,  nor  scorn  those  beneath 
you. 

Let  us  strive  to  make  the  best  possible  use  of 
our  advantages,  without  undue  reference  to  the 
opinions  of  our  fellow-men.  No  human  judgment 
is  unbiased.  We  can  rely  only  upon  the  judg- 
ment of  our  Lord.  Could  we  form  the  habit  of 
seeing  things  from  his  standpoint,  how  soon  would 
all  useless  strivings  cease,  and  our  lives  become 
simple  and  grand  like  his  life !  We  need  no  leader 
but  him.  We  need  bear  no  yoke  but  that  im- 
posed upon  us  by  him.  The  yoke  imposed  upon 
us  by  the  world  is  indeed  heavy,  and  its  burdens 
too  great  to  bear;  but  his  yoke  is  easy,  and  his 
burden  light. 

Cast  out,  then,  from  your  life  the  things  which 
wear,  which  worry,  burdens  which  you  ought  not 
to  bear  lest  they  paralyze  your  best  energies; 


COMMON  SENSE  IN  RELIGION       59 

seem  to  be  what  you  are,  and  not  an  ugly  creature 
with  a  false  face.  Be  not  like  the  poor  tortoise 
who  borrowed  the  eagle's  wings.  Martial  says 
that  there  is  nothing  more  contemptible  than  a 
bald  man  who  pretends  to  have  hair !  And  so  are 
we  contemptible  if  we  pretend  to  be  what  we  are 
not. 

More  of  the  simplicity  and  common  sense  of 
the  religion  of  Jesus  ought  to  be  practiced  in  our 
homes,  in  society,  and  in  the  church.  Think  for 
one  moment  how  much  courage  it  requires  for  a 
woman  associating  with  those  who  dress  fashion- 
ably, to  wear  contentedly  last  year's  bonnet,  or  a 
dress  two  or  three  years  old.  What  condition 
of  things  is  that  in  which  an  acquaintance  is 
valued  in  accordance  with  the  style  of  her  cloth- 
ing? What  opinion  can  a  woman  have  of  her- 
self for  judging  the  worth  of  another  by  her 
dress?  If  she  should  choose  to  wear  the  fashions 
of  twenty  years  ago,  what  matter?  All  fashions 
return  in  time.  The  old  become  the  new,  and  the 
new  the  old.  What  difference?  There  should  be 
equal  rights  in  these  things,  that  the  weight  of 
custom  may  not  press  too  heavily,  and  that  the 
freedom  of  Christianity  may  enter  into  our  style 
of  dress,  and  that  the  consistency  and  common 
sense  of  true  religion  may  be  shown  in  what  we 
wear  and  how  we  wear  it.  First  of  all  we  should 
dress  within  our  means,  wear  what  is  modest  and 
becoming  and  not  in  the  extreme  of  fashion. 
Clothing  has  its  proper  use,  and  is  not  for  mere 


60          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

display,  or  to  excite  the  envy  of  those  about  us. 
We  dress  in  the  best  taste  when  our  dress  does 
not  attract  attention,  and  when  once  put  on  prop- 
erly, we  need  not  think  of  it  again  until  we  take 
it  off.  It  is  not  necessary  to  dress  meanly.  Our 
clothing1  may  be  of  expensive  material,  and  yet  be 
modest,  and  in  every  way  suitable.  Indeed,  it  is 
of  the  greatest  economy  to  buy  the  best  of  the 
kind  required,  if  it  be  desirable  or  necessary  to 
make  the  garment  last  a  long  time. 

The  years  that  are  going  by  cannot  be  recalled, 
and  we  are  growing  old  more  rapidly  than  we 
realize.  If  we  are  to  accomplish  anything  worth 
accomplishing,  if  we  have  not  already  begun,  it  is 
time  to  begin  now.  The  exercise  of  common  sense 
and  good  judgment  in  our  every  day  matters  will 
leave  us  more  time  to  devote  to  especial  and  im- 
portant objects  outside  our  merely  personal  in- 
terests. It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  those  who 
have  no  interest  in  the  Christian  religion  will 
spend  much  time  or  thought  upon  serious  things, 
but  not  so  of  Christians.  We  are  not  our  own. 
We  have  given  our  all  to  Jesus.  He  it  is  whom 
we  must  consult  in  regard  to  the  use  we  make  of 
everything. 

In  seeking  not  to  dress  too  much,  let  us  avoid 
the  other  extreme,  and  not  be  so  indifferent  to  our 
personal  appearance  as  to  dress  shabbily.  It 
would  not  be  pleasing  or  honoring  Jesus  for  those 
whom  he  loves  to  neglect  the  body.  It  is  the  home 
of  the  soul,  and  it  should  possess  a  quiet  charm 


COMMON  SENSE  IN  RELIGION       61 

attractive  to  our  friends  and  to  all  good  people. 
There  is  another  thing  in  which  our  influence  is 
stronger  than  in  that  of  dress,  wherein  we  fail  to 
use  good  sense,  and  to  show  ourselves  consistent 
Christians.  It  is  in  our  conversation.  Who  can 
listen  to  the  conversation  of  a  dozen  women  whom 
one  incidentally  meets  at  a  public  gathering,  or 
at  a  popular  resort,  without  often  feeling  dis- 
quieted or  ashamed?  It  hardly  seems  possible 
that  intelligent  beings,  lovely  in  the  image  of  their 
maker,  endowed  with  reason,  gifted  often  with  the 
power  of  rising  to  an  unlimited  height,  capable  of 
reaching  after,  and  in  a  measure,  grasping  the  in- 
finite, should  be  satisfied  to  talk  of  little  besides 
dress,  and  fashion,  and  gossip,  should  be  appar- 
ently satisfied  with  such  subjects. 

When  the  themes  for  profitable  conversation 
are  so  varied  and  so  ample,  when  the  mind  ex- 
pands so  rapidly  under  the  influence  of  the  inter- 
change of  thought  and  sentiment,  when  thought 
and  sentiment  are  worthy  of  expression,  what  a 
pity  that  any  one  should  be  satisfied  with  non- 
sense. And  when  to  all  the  other  graces  of 
womanhood  are  added  the  crowning  graces  of  re- 
ligion, how  surprising  and  humiliating  all  this  is ! 

We  might  fail  to  recognize  a  Christian  woman 
in  such  companionship;  but,  strange  to  say,  there 
are  many  professing  Christians  who  demean 
themselves  in  just  this  kind  of  foolish,  uninterest- 
ing conversation  by  the  hour,  and  think  nothing 
of  it.  What  power  can  rouse  the  thousands  of 


62          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

women  who  thus  waste  the  time,  the  talents,  the 
energy  God  has  given  them,  to  a  true  sense  of 
their  privileges  and  obligations?  What  a  revolu- 
tion must  take  place  in  society  and  in  the  church 
before  the  simplicity  and  nobleness  of  Christ-like 
lives  will  be  realized  among  women;  before  the 
light  of  wisdom  and  truth  will  shine  forth  steadily 
from  their  lives  to  illumine  the  world  in  which 
they  move.  It  is  plain  that  women  do  not  under- 
stand their  power  or  their  importance  in  the 
world,  or  so  many  of  them  would  not  lead  the  life 
of  butterflies. 

Without  doubt  there  are  many  who  would 
break  away  from  the  yoke  imposed  upon  them  by 
the  acquisition  of  wealth  and  position,  and  the 
tyranny  of  custom,  if  they  had  the  courage  to  do 
it.  Without  doubt,  many  long  for  better  things ; 
but  who  will  break  away?  Who  will  lead  the 
multitude  of  burdened  ones  into  a  better  life,  and 
to  an  inestimable  increase  of  happiness? 

Ah,  how  many  Christians  are  drawn  into  the 
current  to  float  with  the  rest,  resisting  feebly,  or 
not  at  all,  the  tide  which  is  bearing  them  farther 
and  farther  from  the  center  of  all  good,  and 
bringing  dishonor  upon  Jesus  Christ  whom  they 
profess  to  honor. 

No  one  should  be  compelled  to  do  as  others  do 
merely  because  others  do  it.  There  never  was  a 
greater  curse  than  that  of  the  desire  to  ape  other 
people.  We  are  individuals.  We  have  individu- 
ality. Let  that  individuality  be  preserved  in  all 


COMMON  SENSE  IN  RELIGION       63 

the  relations  of  life.  One  has  poverty,  another 
has  wealth.  Let  the  poor  man  live  according  to 
his  poverty,  and  the  rich  man  according  to  his 
wealth,  neither  of  them  envying  or  sneering  at  the 
other.  One  has  rare  ability,  another  has  mediocre 
talent.  Let  the  first  use  his  ability  for  the  best 
and  purest  purposes,  and  the  other  do  the  best  he 
can,  and  let  each  be  content  with  the  other.  One 
woman  is  fond  of  dress  and  willing  to  spend  half 
her  time  in  adorning  her  person.  Another  finds 
these  things  a  burden  from  which  she  wishes  to 
be  freed.  Let  the  former  waste  her  time  thus  if 
she  wish;  what  is  that  to  the  other?  And  let  the 
latter  live  in  freedom,  and  dress  as  is  convenient. 
Whose  affair  is  it  but  her  own?  Let  there  be 
perfect  independence.  Let  each  one  be  a  unit  of 
unique  value,  capable  of  standing  quite  alone. 

True  living  does  not  consist  in  the  position  we 
hold  in  the  world,  or  in  the  church,  neither  in  the 
amount  of  worldly  comfort  and  pleasure  with 
which  we  are  able  to  surround  ourselves ;  still  less 
in  the  good  or  bad  opinion  of  our  fellow-men. 
That  is  the  most  noble  life  which  gives  little 
thought  as  to  whether  one  is  known  or  unknown, 
but  which  moves  on  sweetly  and  quietly  in  its  ap- 
pointed sphere,  gathering  each  day  the  flowers 
within  reach,  and  patiently  extracting  the  thorns 
which  are  hidden  in  the  sweetest  flowers,  valuing 
the  highest  those  things  which  Jesus  values  the 
highest,  and  shedding  around  the  luster  of  a 
Christ-like  character. 


64          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

One  obstacle  to  perfect  harmony  between  man 
and  man,  is  pride  of  family.  It  is  a  good  thing 
to  be  able  to  look  back  upon  a  long  line  of  noble 
ancestry ;  but  the  man  whose  ancestors  were  ple- 
beians, and  who  wins  for  himself  nobleness,  is  su- 
perior to  the  man  whose  nobility  is  an  inheritance. 
It  is  not  what  our  fathers  were,  but  what  we  are 
that  should  claim  for  us  the  highest  regard.  It 
is  character  only  that  bears  all  tests  through  all 
time;  that  shines  bright  and  pure  in  the  clear 
light  of  the  supreme  moments  in  life  when  we 
are  called  to  noblest  deeds  or  bravest  endurance. 
When  that  hour  comes  in  which  we  must  stand 
before  God  in  the  clear  light  of  heaven,  what  will 
then  stand  but  greatness  of  soul? 

The  King  of  heaven  chose  his  earthly  lot  among 
the  most  lowly,  and  esteemed  those  noble  who 
were  noble  in  character.  He  taught  his  disciples 
not  to  seek  high  places,  to  seek  no  worldly  honor 
or  fame;  that  the  greatest  victories  they  could 
achieve  would  be  to  conquer  their  own  spirits,  and 
that  those  who  followed  in  the  meek  and  lowly 
path  he  trod  would  be  exalted  to  his  throne  in 
heaven. 

God  made  all  men  equal  as  regards  individual 
rights  and  privileges ;  equal  in  the  contest  for 
knowledge,  goodness,  and  truth.  He  places  low 
in  the  scale  of  humanity  those  who  deserve  to  be 
low,  and  those  who  merit  a  high  position,  are,  in 
his  esteem,  already  high,  without  regard  to 
wealth,  or  family,  or  blood.  His  scale  of 


COMMON  SENSE  IN  RELIGION       65 

measurement  is  ours  reversed:  "The  first  shall  be 
last,  and  the  last  shall  be  first."  When  we  see 
men  and  things  from  his  standpoint,  as  nearly  as 
we  may,  then  will  the  galling  chains  drop  off, 
and  we  shall  be  free  to  live  in  accordance  with 
sanctified  common  sense.  Then  shall  we  belong 
to  God's  nobility,  a  privilege  which  is  conferred 
upon  many  who  are  scorned  by  the  nobility  of  this 
world. 

There  are  large  beams  in  the  eyes  of  the  world. 
It  does  not  see  clearly.  Then  let  us  not  place 
too  much  value  upon  its  judgments;  rather  let  us 
walk  quietly  with  God,  ruling  our  lives  by  that 
of  his  beloved  Son  in  whom  there  was  no  guile. 


IX 

OUR  RESPONSIBILITY 

Whether  we  realize  it  or  not,  whether  the  fact 
is  acceptable  to  us  or  not,  or  however  strong  our 
effort  may  be  to  throw  it  off,  our  responsibility 
to  God,  to  man,  to  ourselves,  remains.  We  can- 
not shut  ourselves  within  ourselves  if  we  try.  We 
cannot  build  around  ourselves  a  wall  of  separa- 
tion from  other  people,  so  that  it  would  be  the 
same  to  them  as  if  we  were  not  in  existence.  It 
can  never  be  the  same  to  them.  Human  beings 
touch  each  other  in  some  way.  It  is  a  law  of  na- 
ture which  cannot  be  revoked.  Humanity  is  a 
common  brotherhood. 

There  are  lines  drawn  sufficiently  marked,  it 
would  seem,  to  separate  completely,  different 
classes  of  society;  but  they  cannot  be  so  sepa- 
rated. The  rich  influence  the  poor,  and  the  poor 
the  rich.  The  good  influence  the  bad,  and  the 
bad  the  good.  All  classes  are  bound  together,  be- 
cause all  are  human  beings ;  all  have  souls ;  by  all 
must  be  waged  the  battle  of  life;  all  have  their 
joys  and  sorrows,  their  conflicts  and  their  victo- 
ries, and  to  all  must  come,  finally,  the  common  lot 
of  death,  and  the  probability  of  being  forgotten 
before  many  generations  shall  have  succeeded 


OUR  RESPONSIBILITY  67 

theirs ;  and  upon  all  rests  the  burden  of  responsi- 
bility. 

Jesus  calls  our  influence  the  light  we  shed 
around  us.  Is  it  a  true  or  false  light?  Will  it 
warn  others  from  evil  ways,  or  lead  them  into  these 
ways?  Is  it  wavering  or  uncertain  and  deceiv- 
ing like  the  will-o'-the-wisp  or  steady  and  bright, 
leading  always  toward  truth  and  the  beauty  of 
holiness?  Jesus  said,  "Let  your  light  so  shine 
that  men  may  take  knowledge  of  your  good 
works  and  glorify  your  Father  which  is  in 
heaven."  Especially  in  our  homes  should  our 
light  shine  clear  and  steady.  If  our  influence 
there  be  cheering,  strong  and  helpful,  if  our  re- 
sponsibility there  be  fulfilled  carefully  and  prayer- 
fully as  in  the  presence  of  our  God,  then  will  there 
be  shining  from  us  a  light  which  will  never  grow 
dim,  and  an  influence  which  will  be  felt  almost 
without  limit. 

It  is  in  little  ways  that  we  are  most  tempted  to 
hide  our  light.  Physical  ailments  are  often  the 
cause,  but  not  a  good  excuse  for  a  surly  "good 
morning,"  or  a  hasty  word  which  will  sting 
through  all  the  day.  It  is  not  the  burning, 
scorching,  concentrated  heat  of  the  sun  that  is 
most  acceptable,  but  the  diffused  rays  which 
reach  into  all  the  dark  corners,  and  bring  light 
and  warmth  everywhere.  It  is  not  the  brilliant 
flashes  of  light  that  we  shed  around  us  that  render 
our  lives  and  the  lives  of  others  more  lovely  and 
lovable,  but  the  diffused  light  of  little  words  and 


68         HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

deeds.  Neither  is  the  severe  storm  so  lasting  in 
its  influence  as  the  continued  dropping  which 
wears  away  stone.  We  can  endure  an  occasional 
outburst  of  anger  more  patiently  than  the  petty 
fretting  and  fault-finding  which  is  of  daily  oc- 
currence in  many  homes. 

Sunshine  then,  sunshine  everywhere !  Have 
control  of  your  tongue  and  of  your  manner. 
Keep  back  the  hasty  word.  If  things  do  not  suit 
you,  do  not  find  fault.  This  never  induced  any 
one  to  comply  cheerfully  with  your  wishes,  and 
never  will.  Approach  one  another  with  love  and 
tenderness  when  any  difficulty  is  to  be  discussed, 
or  mistake  corrected.  It  is  easy  to  avoid  petty 
bickerings  and  strife  in  a  home  where  all  its  mem- 
bers are  watchful  over  themselves;  and  watchful- 
ness is  absolutely  necessary.  Words  slip  out  so 
easily.  The  tone  of  the  voice  partakes  so  much  of 
the  feeling,  and  we  are  creatures  of  impulse.  We 
have  need  often  to  say  to  ourselves,  "Wait  a  mo- 
ment. What  am  I  going  to  say?"  "What  am  I 
going  to  do?"  Thinking  before  speaking  or  act- 
ing would  often  save  bitter  and  sometimes  life-long 
regrets. 

We  cannot  think  or  speak,  we  cannot  laugh  or 
weep,  or  keep  silent,  stretch  forth  our  hands  or 
withhold  them,  give  or  receive,  without  influencing 
some  one;  and  whatever  that  influence  is,  we  are. 
The  water  that  flows  from  the  fountain  partakes 
of  the  precise  nature  of  the  fountain.  If  we  speak 
gently,  and  our  manner  is  always  gentle,  then  are 


OUR  RESPONSIBILITY  69 

we  gentle.  If  our  influence  upon  others  be  a 
Christian  influence,  then  are  we  Christ-like.  If 
our  influence  be  worldly,  then,  no  matter  what  we 
may  call  ourselves,  we  are  worldly.  Our  every 
act  is  of  the  utmost  consequence  to  ourselves  and 
to  our  race,  for  our  influence  does  not  stop  with 
those  with  whom  we  come  into  immediate  contact, 
but  it  circles  on  to  the  outermost  edge  of  time. 
Our  words  and  deeds  weigh  more  heavily  in  the 
scale  of  human  weal  or  woe  than  we  are  apt  to 
think.  Every  hour  we  are  weaving  a  web  which 
will  entangle  souls  in  deeper  misery,  or  we  are 
drawing  by  the  fine  and  beautiful  threads  of  our 
lives,  souls  nearer  to  truth,  to  beauty  and  good- 
ness, nearer  to  heaven. 

There  may  be  those  who  will  say,  "Why  make 
life  so  serious  and  gloomy?"  We  are  not  dolls 
or  puppets.  That  our  acts  are  of  consequence, 
gives  beauty  and  dignity  to  our  lives ;  and  the 
same  God  who  created  us  with  the  capacity  to 
influence  others,  will  strengthen  us  to  bear  the  re- 
sponsibility resting  upon  us,  and  to  meet  our 
weighty  obligation  to  do  good  and  not  evil. 

God's  way  is  a  way  of  light.  The  gloomy  path 
has  once  been  trod  by  him  who  carried  from  his 
cradle  to  his  grave  the  burden  of  our  sins.  He 
trod  this  path  to  open  for  us  a  smoother,  brighter 
path.  He  bore  the  crushing  burden  that  we 
might  have  no  burdens.  His  life  went  out  in 
darkness  that  ours  might  go  out  in  light.  He 
bore  the  cross  that  we  might  wear  the  crown. 


70          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

By  perfect  obedience  to  the  commands  of  Jesus, 
a  constant  taking  up  of  the  cross,  and  a  close 
following  in  his  footsteps  we  may  fulfill  our  obli- 
gations to  God,  to  our  fellow-men  and  to  our- 
selves. The  Son  of  God  will  not  lead  us  into 
error.  His  commandments  are  not  grievous,  nor 
the  cross  of  his  appointing  too  heavy.  In  his 
parable  of  the  talents  we  are  taught  that  we  did 
not  come  into  the  world  like  dumb  animals,  with 
no  means  of  progress,  no  responsibility.  Upon 
each  one  God  has  bestowed  certain  gifts ;  not  upon 
all  alike,  for  we  must  do  the  work  of  the  world, 
and  some  are  fitted  for  one  thing,  and  some  an- 
other, so  that  all  kinds  of  work  may  be  accom- 
plished. 

An  acorn,  containing  the  germ  of  an  oak,  falls 
from  a  tree  and  is  buried  in  the  earth.  If  it  re- 
fuse to  take  the  food  nature  has  provided  for  it, 
to  swell  and  burst,  to  put  forth  rootlets  and  to 
push  a  tiny  stem  up  through  the  soil,  or,  even 
after  it  has  done  this,  if  it  will  not  drink  in  the 
air,  the  dew,  and  the  sunshine,  if  its  roots  do  not 
take  up  sustenance  from  the  earth,  and  grow 
stronger  and  stronger,  it  will  never  become  a  tree ; 
even  the  little  life  it  has  will  be  taken  away,  nat- 
urally, and  it  will  perish  altogether. 

We  enter  this  world  knowing  only  how  to  cry 
and  to  take  the  food  nature  has  provided  for  us ; 
but  there  is  a  power  within  us  to  grow  physically, 
mentally  and  spiritually,  and  we  are  surrounded 
by  conditions  which  tend  to  rapid  growth  and  de- 


OUR  RESPONSIBILITY  71 

velopment.  If  we  neglect  to  appropriate  to  our- 
selves all  God  has  provided  for  us,  if  we  fold  our 
hands  idly  because  but  one  talent  has  been  given 
us,  what  can  we  expect  but  to  lose,  naturally,  this 
one  talent,  and  to  be  cast  out  as  unprofitable  serv- 
ants? Around  him  who  uses  to  the  utmost  his 
God-given  ability,  the  circle  of  opportunity  and 
privilege  will  widen  more  and  more,  reaching  to 
the  utmost  bounds  of  human  knowledge  and  ac- 
quirement, and  human  influence,  reaching  even 
into  eternity.  For  who  will  dare  fix  a  limit  to 
the  development  of  an  immortal  being  created  in 
the  image  of  God? 

All  the  acts  of  life  are  significant,  and  power- 
ful for  good  or  ill.  Every  good  thing  we  do  re- 
flects upon  ourselves,  and  helps  to  build  charac- 
ter; and  while  we  are  adding  stone  upon  stone  to 
our  own  structure,  often,  without  our  knowing  it, 
another  is  building  beside  us,  and  unconsciously 
following  our  leading.  This  world  is  not  a  play- 
ground, but  a  workshop.  The  Son  of  God  is  the 
Master-builder.  Under  his  guidance  beauty  will 
grow  from  deformity,  and  graceful  proportions 
from  unseemly  confusion ;  and  by  and  by  we  shall 
see  the  halo  of  light  which  surrounds  him,  sur- 
rounding also  every  one  to  whom  he  imparts  his 
divine  grace,  and  we  shall  go  about  our  duties 
with  this  wonderful  brightness  surrounding  us  if 
we  follow  where  he  leads ;  if  we  follow ! 

The  strong  purpose  of  our  lives  must  be  to 
attain  to  the  highest ;  but  we  must  not  stop  there. 


72         HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

Only  meaning  to  do  a  thing,  amounts  to  nothing. 
What  if  the  clouds  should  say,  "We  mean  to  drop 
rain  to  refresh  the  earth,"  and  yet  should  with- 
hold the  rain?  What  if  the  fruit  tree  should  say, 
"I  mean  to  grow,  blossom  and  bear  fruit,"  and 
neither  grow,  nor  blossom,  nor  bear  fruit  ?  What 
if  the  sun  should  say,  "I  mean  to  shine,"  but  for- 
ever hide  his  face  behind  a  cloud?  It  is  being 
and  doing  that  make  our  lives  of  value.  We 
have  no  right  to  ourselves  unless  we  give  ourselves 
away.  The  world  is  not  indebted  to  us,  but  we 
to  the  world.  "Our  part  on  earth  is  not  to  be 
served,  but  to  serve." 

God  does  not  require  of  us  what  we  might  do  in 
other  circumstances.  He  does  not  expect  us  to 
give  time  which  we  have  not  at  our  command,  or 
money  which  we  do  not  possess.  Neither  does  he 
require  us  to  use  the  talents  of  another  person. 
To  all  he  gives  advantages  enough  to  make  per- 
fect men  and  women  of  their  kind.  He  does  not 
expect  a  laborer  to  have  the  beauty  and  grace  of 
a  poet,  or  that  a  poet  will  have  the  practical 
knowledge  and  muscular  strength  of  a  laborer; 
but  he  does  require  each  one  to  do  his  work  cheer- 
fully and  well.  A  man  who  cannot  drive  a  nail 
straight,  with  a  simple  story  or  song  may  charm 
the  man  who  drives  nails  for  him ;  and  so  it  may 
be  on  the  every  hand;  each  one  aiding  the  other 
in  a  common  brotherhood,  without  envy,  without 
strife,  without  pride  or  scorn. 

We  cannot  in  any  way  be  free  from  responsi- 


OUR  RESPONSIBILITY  73 

bility.  Much  is  required  of  him  to  whom  much  is 
given.  He  to  whom  little  is  given,  must  make  the 
best  possible  use  of  what  he  has.  We  are  all 
building  for  eternity.  Let  us  lay  the  walls  with 
joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness, 
faith,  meekness,  temperance,  and  cement  them 
together  with  love.  Then,  at  the  last  day,  our 
Heavenly  Father  will  say  to  each  one  of  us,  "Well 
done,  good  and  faithful  servant.  Thou  hast  been 
faithful  over  a  few  things ;  I  will  make  thee  ruler 
over  many  things;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord." 


SETTLE  IT  WITH  JESUS 

There  are  many  things  we  must  settle  with 
Jesus  which  no  human  being  can  adjust;  trials 
we  can  tell  to  no  one,  and  heart-aches  we  must 
conceal  even  from  our  nearest  friends.  The 
things  which  wound  us,  which  oppress  or  injure 
us,  which  human  nature  would  settle  with  the  of- 
fenders— sarcasm  for  sarcasm,  harsh  word  for 
harsh  word,  unkind  deed  for  unkind  deed — follow- 
ing the  old  interpretation  of  the  law,  an  eye  for 
an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth.  But  we  who  belong 
to  Christ  have  no  right  to  return  evil  for  evil, 
to  retaliate  or  revenge.  He  has  taught  us  how 
to  meet  wrong  and  injustice,  and  we  ought  not 
dare  to  meet  them  in  any  other  way  than  that 
which  he  has  taught  by  precept  and  example. 

When  our  accustomed  serenity  is  disturbed  sud- 
denly, and  we  are  nearly  overpowered  by  the  tu- 
mult within  us,  then  should  we  go  away  alone 
and  settle  it  with  Jesus.  When  we  are  unjustly 
blamed  for  some  unpleasant  occurrence  and  we 
cannot  make  any  one  understand  that  we  are  not 
in  fault,  all  we  can  do  is  to  carry  our  trouble  to 
Jesus.  When  our  pride  is  wounded  by  our 

equals,  or  perhaps  by  our  inferiors,  but  who  re- 

74 


SETTLE  IT  WITH  JESUS  75 

gard  themselves  as  being  far  superior  to  our- 
selves, and  we  are  angry  because  we  are  found 
trailing  our  armor  in  the  dust  instead  of  wearing 
it,  we  should  go  to  Jesus  at  once  and  tell  him  all 
about  it.  When  recognition  is  denied  us  and  we 
are  set  aside  by  those  who  are  less  intelligent  or 
less  refined  than  we  are,  who  can  understand  our 
position  better  than  he? 

There  are  many  times  when  our  hearts  are  rest- 
less and  disturbed  when  we  cannot  assign  any 
reason  for  it,  when  we  realize  that  our  blessings 
are  many,  and  that  we  ought  to  be  happy,  but 
are  not ;  then  all  we  can  do  is  to  go  to  Jesus. 
He  will  search  us  and  try  us,  and  find  out  the 
cause  for  all  our  restlessness,  and  apply  the 
remedy  in  love  and  tenderness. 

There  are  many  things  about  which  there  is  a 
great  difference  of  opinion  which  we  must  settle 
with  him.  Shall  we  frequent  the  theater?  Is  it 
right  for  us  to  spend  our  time  in  idle  amusements ; 
in  the  mere  formalities  of  society;  in  meeting  the 
demands  of  those  for  whom  we  have  no  affection, 
and  who  have  no  real  interest  in  us?  Is  it  right 
to  keep  late  hours,  to  dance  to  excess,  to  eat  and 
drink  that  which  slowly  undermines  our  health? 

Should  we  look  upon  those  less  favored  than 
ourselves  in  worldly  circumstances  as  our  infe- 
riors regardless  of  their  true  worth?  Do  we  not 
prove  our  own  inferiority  by  this  false  position? 
Ought  we  to  speak  ill  of  others  unless  circum- 
stances require  us  to  tell  what  we  know  to  be 


76         HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

true?  Let  Jesus  answer  all  these  questions.  Hu- 
man judgment  is  rarely  free  from  prejudice.  He 
only  can  decide  impartially.  He  sees  everything 
through  the  bright  light  which  surrounds  the 
throne.  His  judgment  is  as  clear  as  the  light  of 
heaven.  He  knows  even  the  subtle  influences 
which  surround  us.  There  is  no  dimness  in  his 
vision.  There  are  no  beams  in  his  eyes,  no  doubts 
in  his  mind;  and  loving  us  supremely,  he  can  but 
guide  us  for  our  good.  He  will  answer  all  our 
questions  in  ways  that  cannot  be  mistaken,  if  we 
really  desire  to  know  his  will.  If  we  desire  our 
own  way,  his  answer  is  not  always  clear  to  us,  for 
it  is  in  some  degree  modified  by  our  own  precon- 
ceived opinions. 

Blessed  will  be  the  time  when  we  settle  every- 
thing with  Jesus ;  when  we  no  longer  trust  to  our 
own  judgment;  when  we  no  longer  cry  out  anx- 
iously, "What  shall  I  do?"  Blessed  indeed  to 
have  no  more  harassing  care,  to  be  at  rest  in  him ! 
We  have  all  experienced  hours  of  peace  which 
passes  all  understanding,  but  to  have  this  peace 
at  all  times,  Jesus  must  be  close  at  hand.  To 
settle  all  our  difficulties,  he  must  abide  with  us, 
that  quick  as  thought  his  presence  may  be  felt, 
his  hand  pressed,  and  his  strength  imparted. 
Thus  only  can  we  perform  faithfully  the  common 
duties  of  life,  moving  quietly  above  their  vexa- 
tions, hiding  from  others  our  annoyances  as  the 
calmly  flowing  river  hides  the  rough  places  of  its 
stony  and  uneven  bed. 


SETTLE  IT  WITH  JESUS  77 

But  many  cry  out,  "My  heart  is  sinful;  my 
speech  is  wicked ;  my  house  is  in  disorder ;  I  am 
not  prepared  to  entertain  a  King."  If  we  shut 
Christ  out  with  the  plea,  "I  am  unworthy  that 
thou  shouldst  come  under  my  roof,"  then  do  we 
shut  him  out  forever,  for  we  can  never  become 
worthy  of  his  abiding  presence  by  our  own  ef- 
forts. It  is  he  who  will  make  our  hearts  fit 
temples  for  the  King  of  Glory.  We  should  invite 
him  to  come  in,  not  because  we  are  worthy  of  him, 
but  because  he  loves  us,  and  stands  always  knock- 
ing at  the  door,  and  he  will  enter  and  abide,  and 
we  may  know  that  he  is  with  us  in  the  same  way 
that  we  know  our  dearest  friend  is  near  us. 
Though  we  are  not  looking  at  him,  or  really  think- 
ing of  him,  we  are  conscious  of  his  presence.  We 
need  not  think  of  Jesus  to  the  exclusion  of  other 
things,  but  we  may  have  the  joy  of  his  presence 
in  the  home,  or  wherever  we  may  be ;  his  helpful 
sympathy  and  imparted  strength  in  our  work  and 
in  our  care,  and  his  guidance  in  all  our  diffi- 
culties. Many  think  of  him  as  being  at  some  re- 
mote corner  of  the  universe,  except  on  especial 
occasions  when  he  condescends  to  draw  nearer. 
He  is  just  as  near  to  every  one  of  us  as  we  de- 
sire. How  blind  must  they  be  who  admit  him  not 
to  close  communion,  and  then  complain  that  clouds 
obscure  their  vision;  that  they  have  not  as  much 
light  as  they  wish ;  that  God  and  heaven  seem  far 
away. 

We  cannot  follow  a  guide  who  is  so  far  from 


78          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

us  that  we  can  not  see  him,  nor  hear  his  voice,  and 
how  can  we  follow  Jesus  unless  we  are  near  him? 
How  keep  our  spiritual  vision  clear  unless  he  be 
with  us  to  bring  light  out  of  darkness?  As  the 
branches  wither  and  die  separated  from  the  vine, 
so  do  we  die  spiritually,  separated  from  Jesus. 
Without  him  we  are  cumberers  of  the  ground. 
Without  his  abiding  presence  we  are  in  danger 
of  being  assailed  and  overcome  by  a  vigilant  and 
powerful  enemy.  Left  to  ourselves,  we  are  help- 
less indeed.  How  safe  we  are  if  we  carry  every- 
thing to  him.  How  strong  if  we  clasp  his  hand. 
In  his  calm  presence  how  insignificant  are  the 
daily  worries  and  anxieties.  The  doubts  and 
questionings  which  have  hitherto  perplexed  us 
vanish  away.  The  crooked  and  tangled  things 
become  straight,  all  the  things  which  once  so 
wounded  and  vexed  us  lose  their  power  over  us, 
and  all  our  restlessness  disappears  in  the  presence 
of  Peace! 


XI 

FAITH  AND  WORKS 

We  are  always  asking  something  of  our 
Heavenly  Father,  as  if  we  were  always  hungry 
and  in  need,  and  think  it  strange  that  so  much 
praying  does  not  bring  the  desired  answer  to  our 
prayers.  Are  not  many  of  our  petitions  faith- 
less? Is  not  God's  answer  to  every  prayer,  "As 
your  faith  is,  so  be  it  unto  you?"  Unless,  indeed, 
the  granting  of  our  request  would  do  us  harm. 
There  are  prayers  offered  every  day,  the  answers 
to  which  would  make  men  dumb  with  astonish- 
ment. Men  pray  too  often  into  the  air,  and  there 
is  no  warmth  of  love  in  such  prayers.  They 
reach  no  farther  than  the  atmosphere  in  which  the 
vibrations  of  sound  lose  themselves.  They  are 
not  the  prayers  of  faith. 

We  pray  that  God  will  take  care  of  the  poor, 
but  do  not  help  the  answering  of  our  prayer  by 
our  works.  We  pray,  "Abide  with  me,  Oh  Lord," 
but  we  do  not  really  believe  that  he  will  abide  with 
us.  We  pray,  "Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread,"  but  do  not  believe  that  he  will  give  it  to 
us,  for  how  we  fret  over  that  same  daily  bread! 

"Ask  and  it  shall  be  given  you,"   is  true  of 

everything  which  it  is  best  for  us  to  have.     If 

79 


80          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

God  deny  us  anything,  it  is  in  the  same  spirit  in 
which  we  deny  our  children  many  things.  If  our 
prayers  are  not  always  answered  just  as  we  wish, 
we  need  not  think  that  they  are  unheard  by  God. 
The  feeblest  uplifting  of  the  heart  to  him  is  no- 
ticed and  considered.  Why  not  pray  in  faith 
that  God  will  answer  unless  there  be  a  good  reason 
why  our  request  should  be  denied? 

Do  we  not  pray  too  much  and  praise  too  little? 
While  we  are  admonished  to  pray  without  ceasing, 
are  we  not  also  commanded  to  rejoice  alway? 
Should  not  praying  and  rejoicing  accompany 
each  other?  Should  not  praise  precede  or  follow 
every  prayer?  Is  not  our  cup  of  blessing  so 
full  that  our  prayers  will  turn  to  praise? 

Why  be  always  poor,  and  hungry  and  naked, 
when,  if  we  are  hungry,  it  is  because  we  only  taste 
the  bread  of  life,  and  then  return  to  our  com- 
mon fare;  if  we  are  naked,  it  is  because  we  will 
not  put  on  the  robes  of  righteousness  offered  to 
us  by  Jesus ;  if  we  are  thirsty  it  is  because  we  only 
sip  at  the  waters  of  life  instead  of  taking  full 
draughts  at  the  fountain.  Why  do  we  sit  in  our 
poverty  crying,  "Oh,  Father,  I  am  poor  and 
needy,  clothe  and  feed  me ;  I  am  a  poor,  miserable 
sinner,  save  me;  I  am  falling  at  every  step,  oh, 
lead  me !"  And  still  the  same  cry,  day  after  day, 
turning  a  deaf  ear  to  the  answering  of  our  Father, 
"I  give  thee  bread,  eat  and  hunger  no  more.  I 
clothe  thee,  put  on  these  white  robes.  I  pardon 
all  thy  sins,  go  and  sin  no  more.  Take  my  hand 


FAITH  AND  WORKS  81 

in  thine,  and  thou  shalt  nevermore  walk  alone." 
Why  not  take  God  at  his  word?  He  hears 
the  prayer  even  before  we  utter  it,  and  is  more 
ready  to  give  good  gifts  to  us  than  we  think. 
Under  the  shadow  of  his  wings,  there  is  rest  and 
peace.  We  are  not  beggars  at  his  gates,  but 
heirs  of  his  kingdom,  and  with  light  hearts  and 
radiant  faces  we  may  go  singing  towards  our 
eternal  home.  God  blesses  us  wonderfully  even 
when  our  faith  is  like  a  grain  of  sand.  What 
may  he  not  do  for  us  when  we  rely  upon  him  with 
the  strong  confidence  of  children?  With  such 
faith,  good  works,  almost  without  limit,  naturally 
follow,  and  these  good  works  begin  in  our  own 
hearts,  and  in  our  daily  living,  for  thus,  and  thus 
only,  are  we  prepared  to  extend  our  works  beyond 
ourselves.  Faith  and  pure  living  are  inseparable. 
True  religion  is  undefiled.  If  men  who  profess  to 
be  religious  are  not  so,  it  is  not  that  religion  it- 
self is  wanting  in  any  good  element,  but  that  they 
fall  short  of  the  standard  raised  on  high  that  all 
may  see  it,  even  Jesus  Christ. 

How  dares  one  call  himself  a  Christian  who  is 
not  Christ-like?  How  can  he  live  in  conformity 
to  the  world,  and  give  his  neighbors  occasion  to 
charge  him  with  dishonorable  conduct  and  little 
meannesses  which  a  noble  man  of  the  world  would 
scorn.  A  true  Christian  is  God-like.  A  God-like 
man  towers  so  far  above  his  fellow-men,  that  they 
cannot  fail  to  acknowledge  his  superiority.  Alas 
that  there  are  so  many  who  are  only  Christians  in 


82         HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

name!  That  so  many,  who  might  shine  as  stars 
even  here,  have  only  a  smoldering  faith  beneath 
the  embers  of  worldliness,  whose  light  never  shines 
forth,  whose  works  are  according  to  their  weak 
faith,  and  who  barely  press  into  heaven  through 
gates  ajar,  instead  of  entering  triumphantly 
through  gates  open  wide,  with  loud  hosannas 
greeting  the  blood-bought  and  glorified  ones 
whose  faith  and  works  here  opened  to  them  a  glo- 
rious inheritance  with  the  highest  ones  in  heaven, 
at  the  right  hand  of  Jesus. 

The  faith  which  every  one  ought  to  have  is  like 
the  faith  of  little  children  in  their  parents.  They 
lay  their  hands  in  ours  with  perfect  confidence.  A 
mother  is  all  in  all  to  her  child.  If  the  mother 
is  near,  all  is  well.  If  mother's  hand  can  be 
touched  in  the  light  of  day  or  the  darkness  of 
night,  the  child  is  at  rest.  There  is  no  question- 
ing in  the  mind  of  the  obedient  child  when  he  is 
denied  his  requests.  My  little  boy  often  asks  me 
for  that  which  is  not  best  that  he  should  do,  or 
that  he  should  have,  and  I  say,  "No,  darling," 
and  he  answers,  contentedly,  "All  right." 

When  we  hold  the  hand  of  God  in  perfect  love 
and  confidence,  all  doubt  and  fear  will  be  cast 
out,  and  whatever  answer  God  may  give  to  our 
requests,  we  can  say,  with  perfect  resignation, 
"It  is,  indeed,  all  right."  The  works  which  will 
accompany  such  faith  will  be  holy  living,  and  a 
constant  giving  of  ourselves  to  others  as  Jesus 
gave  himself  to  us,  not  in  a  sacrificial  way,  as  he 


FAITH  AND  WORKS  83 

did,  but  in  humanly  divine  way,  from  day  to  day, 
doing  all  the  little  things  of  life  perfectly,  gra- 
ciously, gracefully,  as  he  would  do  them;  for  life 
is  mostly  made  up  of  little  things,  and  but  few 
of  us  are  called  to  do  great  things. 

God  will  assign  to  us  our  daily  tasks,  and  we 
need  take  no  care  or  thought  as  to  whether  we 
might  be  doing  something  greater  or  better.  It 
is  what  God  wishes  us  to  do,  and  that  is  enough. 
Be  sure  that  he  will  not  fail  to  give  us  all  we  can 
do  well,  nor  fail  to  place  us  just  where  he  wishes 
us  to  be.  We  are  not  to  fret,  if  sometimes  the 
place  seem  too  humble,  or  the  work  too  hard. 
We  have  taken  up  the  cross  to  follow  him  whose 
lot  was,  indeed,  humble,  and  whose  task  was  ardu- 
ous, and  we  must  not  shrink,  but  clasp  the  strong 
hand  the  tighter,  and  lean  more  heavily  upon  the 
strong  arm,  and  our  Lord  will  bring  us  through 
victorious. 

The  power  of  faith  is  beyond  measure.  If  the 
members  of  one  large  church  had  the  faith  they 
might  have,  did  the  works  they  might  do,  what  a 
revolution  would  that  church  make  within  the 
circle  of  its  influence !  If  the  members  of  all  the 
Christian  churches  in  the  world  were  really  Christ- 
like,  would  we  need  to  wait  long  for  the  answer  to 
our  prayer,  "Thy  kingdom  come?" 

Among  men,  no  professional  sham  will  be  ac- 
cepted as  the  genuine  thing.  Men  feel  it  in  their 
hearts  when  another  is  sincere,  when  he  stands 
firm  as  a  rock  for  right  and  truth,  when  he  scorns 


84          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

every  thing  unworthy  the  name  he  bears,  and 
lives  by  faith;  and  they  are  right  in  judging  of 
the  quality  of  his  faith  by  the  work  wrought  in 
his  character  by  that  faith.  This  faith  which  is 
like  a  well  of  water  springing  up  into  everlasting 
life,  is  a  most  wonderful  gift  from  God.  He  holds 
it  ready  for  us  in  his  exhaustless  treasure-house. 
All  we  have  to  do  is  to  open  our  hearts  to  receive 
it.  How  gloriously  it  lifts  us  above  the  friction 
of  every-day  life. 

How  easy,  with  such  a  faith,  become  the  works. 
How  naturally,  and  without  apparent  effort  do 
we  serve  God,  and  do  and  endure  his  will,  thus  ful- 
filling in  our  lives  the  familiar  words,  "The  just 
shall  live  by  faith." 

Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer  tells  the  following  story: 

"On  the  Campania,  by  which  I  crossed  the  ocean, 
there  were  Christian  men  who  held  steerage  services. 
They  talked  about  these  services  at  dinner,  and  an 
infidel  happened  to  be  at  the  same  table.  He  heard 
them  talk  about  their  faith,  their  church,  and  their 
religion.  One  day  he  decided  to  go  to  see  what  their 
service  was  like.  He  put  an  orange  in  his  pocket, 
intending  to  eat  it.  As  he  passed  through  the  gang- 
way, a  poor  old  woman,  in  a  very  rusty  dress,  sat 
there  fast  asleep,  her  hands  folded  in  her  lap,  open. 
A  thought  struck  him.  He  took  the  orange  out  of  his 
pocket  and  put  it  in  her  hands.  She  went  on  sleep- 
ing, and  he  went  to  hear  the  talk.  When  he  came 
back,  the  old  woman  had  waked,  and  with  a  be- 
nignant smile,  she  sat  looking  at  the  orange. 


FAITH  AND  WORKS  85 

"  'Mother,  how  are  you  ?'  he  said.  'Oh,  well,  thank 
you;  rather  better  than  I  was  just  now.' 

"  'How  better?'  he  asked. 

'  'Why,  look  at  the  orange,  sir.' 

"  'Well,  what  of  the  orange?' 

"  'Well,  you  know  I  could  not  eat  the  food  they 
gave  me,  and  I  said  to  my  Heavenly  Father  to-day, 
"I  wish  I  might  have  a  little  fruit.  I  would  like  to 
have  an  orange."  So  I  went  to  sleep;  and  when  I 
woke  an  orange  was  in  my  hand.  My  Heavenly 
Father  put  it  there.' 

"  'Oh,  no!'  said  the  infidel.  'There  is  no  Heavenly 
Father.  I  put  it  there.' 

"  'Ah !  but  you  would  not  have  put  it  there  if  the 
Heavenly  Father  had  not  told  you  to.'  " 

Lovely,  wasn't  it,  that  she  should  wake  to  find 
in  her  hands  that  for  which  she  had  prayed  just 
before  going  io  sleep.  This  ought  to  have 
touched  the  infidel's  heart.  Perhaps  it  did,  and 
made  him  wonder,  if  there  might  not  be,  after  all, 
an  all-loving  Father  without  whose  notice  not 
even  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground. 

According!  Oh,  the  grand  possibilities  con- 
tained in  that  word !  According  to  your  faith ! 
"What  is  faith  ?  To  walk  right  on  to  the  edge  of 
the  precipice  and  then  stop  ?  'No !  Walk  on !' 
'What,  set  my  feet  upon  nothing?'  'Yes,  upon 
nothing,  if  it  be  in  the  way  of  duty;  boldly  set 
your  feet  on  nothing,  and  a  solid  rock  from  the 
everlasting  hills  will  meet  your  feet  at  every  step 
that  you  take  in  the  path  of  duty;  only  take  it 


86          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

unwaveringly,  and  in  faith.'  '  "Oh,  but  we  must 
see  where  we  are  going,"  you  say.  Dear  friend, 
how  often  do  you  really  see  where  you  are  going? 
How  can  you  see,  when  all  the  future  is  as  a  closed 
highway  ? 

In  his  own  country,  Jesus  did  not  many 
mighty  works  because  of  unbelief.  Many  times 
we  pray  for  healing  of  soul  and  body;  and  if  we 
listen  attentively,  we  may  hear  him  saying,  oh, 
with  what  infinite  love,  and  infinite  pity  and 
regret,  "I  cannot  because  of  your  unbelief!" 

Perfect  faith  will  help  to  keep  us  well,  and 
strong,  and  beautiful  in  body  and  in  spirit.  It 
will  make  our  faces  shine,  and  our  feet  will  run 
to  do  good  deeds  for  very  joy  of  the  privilege. 
Our  hearts  will  sing  for  joy,  and  the  work  ap- 
portioned to  us  will  be  performed  cheerfully  and 
well.  It  will  bring  us  into  harmony  with  the 
Father,  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  will  hold 
us  as  an  anchor  through  all  winds  and  tides, 
through  brightest  sunshine  and  through  darkest 
night,  and  although  we  may  be  poor  and  lowly 
and  unworthy  of  notice  in  the  eyes  of  the  world, 
it  will  make  us  courtiers  in  the  palace  of  the 
King! 


XII 

NOT  BELIEVING  BECAUSE  NOT 
UNDERSTANDING 

There  are  those  who  do  not  believe  the  Bible 
because  they  do  not  understand  it,  who  do  not  be- 
lieve in  God  because  he  is  veiled  in  mystery. 
What  do  we  understand?  The  smallest  leaf  that 
glistens  in  the  sunshine  and  quivers  in  the  trees 
is  incomprehensible  to  us.  Were  we  to  try  mil- 
lions of  years  we  could  not  make  one.  The  blade 
of  grass  grows  silently  from  the  tiny  seed,  we 
know  not  how.  Slowly,  slowly  the  acorn  sends 
forth  a  tree  which  defies  wind  and  storm  in  its 
strength  and  majesty,  and  Ruskin  looks  at  it  with 
wonder  to  say,  "What  a  thought  it  was  when  God 
thought  of  a  tree !" 

Look  at  the  flowers,  so  varied  in  their  beauty. 
Whence  do  they  derive  their  color  and  fragrance? 
How  is  it  possible  that  so  much  loveliness  can  be 
centered  in  a  lily  or  a  rose?  How  is  it  done? 
We  are  dumb  before  these  thoughts  of  God  ex- 
pressed in  the  grass,  the  flowers,  the  trees,  and 
in  all  growing  things.  And  there  are  mightier 
mysteries  than  these.  Who  understands  the  laws 
by  which  we  and  all  other  objects  on  the  face  of 
the  earth  are  kept  from  being  thrown  off  into 

87 


88         HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

space  in  its  rapid  whirl  on  its  own  axis,  as  it 
majestically  travels  on  its  ceaseless  journey 
around  the  sun?  Look  into  the  heavens  on  a 
clear  winter  night,  and  comprehend,  if  you  can, 
what  you  behold.  We  do  not  even  understand 
ourselves.  Who  can  explain  the  union  of  the  soul 
and  body  during  life,  and  the  separation  of  the 
same  at  death?  Who  can  tell  when  and  how  the 
soul-life  comes  to  us?  And  nothing  can  be  more 
wonderful  and  mysterious  than  the  reproduction 
of  species  throughout  the  animal  and  vegetable 
kingdom. 

Thus  we  may  go  on  from  one  thing  to  an- 
other until  we  are  forced  to  cry  out,  "Alas,  we 
know  not  anything!"  and  to  feel  that  we  are 
tossed  upon  an  ocean  of  uncertainty  and  unrest 
without  a  rudder  to  direct  our  course,  unless  we 
look  upon  everything  as  the  work  of  an  infinite 
God  of  Love  and  Omniscience,  who  holds  the  world 
in  the  hollow  of  his  hand ;  who  directs  and  dis- 
poses all  things  for  our  highest  good;  who  has 
created  all  the  beauty  and  loveliness  of  this  world 
for  our  happiness. 

God  has  revealed  himself  to  us  in  his  Word,  in 
nature,  and  in  the  person  of  his  Son  so  fully  that 
we  may  love  and  honor  him,  and  delight  to  do  his 
will.  We  may  enjoy  to  the  utmost,  all  the  beauty 
and  endless  mystery  of  nature  in  her  richness  and 
profusion.  Bearing  about  with  us  something  of 
the  divinity  in  which  we  were  created,  we  may  be 
kings  and  queens  upon  the  earth;  but  only  as  we 


NOT  BELIEVING  89 

are  obedient  subjects  of  our  Heavenly  King,  to- 
ward whom  disloyalty  is  the  highest  treason, 
justly  punishable  by  banishment  from  his  pres- 
ence forever! 

He  who  gives  to  the  flowers  their  perfume  and 
color,  to  the  sky  its  blue,  to  the  clouds  their 
splendor,  to  the  forest  trees  their  varied  shades 
of  green  and  their  brilliant  autumnal  hues,  to  the 
elements  their  power  for  good  or  ill,  to  the  light- 
ning its  tongue  of  flame  and  its  voice  of  thunder, 
to  the  earthquake  its  terror,  can  do  infinitely 
greater  things  than  these  in  cleansing  our  hearts 
in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  restoring  us  to  his 
favor,  and  to  a  place  in  his  kingdom.  Shall  we 
refuse  to  believe  this  most  wonderful  of  all  mys- 
teries because  we  cannot  understand  it?  Must 
we  wait  for  a  clear  insight  into  the  things  of  God 
before  we  believe  them?  Can  we  make  ourselves 
as  gods  to  pry  into  that  which  is  hidden  from 
us?  Is  it  not  absurd  to  expect  to  know  what  God 
only  knows?  The  finite  cannot  fathom  the  in- 
finite, and  who  can  find  out  God  ? 

Milk  for  babes,  and  meat  for  strong  men.  We 
are  his  babes.  All  that  we  can  grasp  and  use  he 
has  given  to  us,  and  it  is  neither  occasion  for  re- 
gret or  for  distrust  that  we  cannot  compass  the 
universe  with  our  understanding.  God  is ;  we  are. 
What  can  feeble  ones  do  but  rest  in  the  all-power- 
ful? What  can  ignorant  ones  do  but  learn  of  the 
Omniscient?  We  have  all  eternity  before  us  in 
which  to  learn  of  God  and  of  his  mighty  works, 


90         HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

Here  we  only  master  the  alphabet;  for  this  is  a 
training-school,  a  small  beginning;  and  unless  we 
learn  well  the  Alpha  and  Omega,  and  all  that  lies 
between  of  the  lesson  God  has  given  us  to  learn 
here,  we  cannot  expect  to  understand  the  lan- 
guage of  heaven. 

If  we  wish  to  become  proficient  in  any  branch 
of  study,  we  do  not  begin  with  that  part  which 
is  most  difficult,  and  throw  it  aside  in  disgust, 
saying,  "I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  it,  for  it  is 
impossible  to  understand  it ;"  but  we  begin  with 
the  rudiments,  and  advance  slowly,  step  by  step, 
like  a  little  child  learning  to  walk,  until  all  ob- 
stacles are  surmounted,  and  what  at  first  was  in- 
comprehensible, becomes  easy  and  well  understood. 
If  we  sit  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  willing  to  be  taught 
the  alphabet  of  the  Word,  willing  to  be  in  the  low- 
est class  until  we  are  prepared  to  go  up 
higher,  much  that  seems  dark  and  difficult  now 
will  be  illuminated  and  made  easy  as  we  go  on 
in  loving  obedience  to  the  Divine  will. 

What  a  comfort  it  is  to  be  sure  that  what  we 
do  not  know  Jesus  knows,  and  wherein  we  fail,  he, 
with  tender,  brotherly  love,  will  intercede  for  us, 
and  cover  our  defects  with  his  own  righteousness, 
and  present  us  faultless  before  the  throne  of  God 
to  go  no  more  out  forever! 


XIII 
NO  MIDDLE  WAY 

"He  that  is  not  for  me  is  against  me,  and  he  that  gather- 
eth  not  with  me  scattereth  abroad." 

Can  anything  be  plainer  than  this  from  the  lips 
of  the  Son  of  God?  There  are  two  powers  reign- 
ing on  the  earth,  and  one  or  the  other  must  con- 
trol us.  We  are  either  serving  God  or  Satan. 
There  is  no  more  subtle  snare  that  the  prince  of 
evil  throws  around  his  victims  than  that  of  the 
middle  way.  He  is  always  trying  to  make  them 
believe  that  between  God's  path  and  his  path  there 
is  a  broad  highway  in  which  they  may  walk  at 
their  ease,  not  troubling  themselves  as  to  whether 
they  are  right  or  wrong,  so  long  as  they  have  a 
choice  of  good  things  from  the  trees  overhanging 
this  highway,  and  from  which  they  can  pluck 
the  sweetest  fruits  without  discrimination  as  to 
whether  they  grow  on  the  right  hand  or  on  the 
left.  There  are  multitudes  of  people  who  are 
thus  led  blindly  on  who  know  not  who  is  leading 
them,  and  who  would  consider  it  an  insult  if  you 
should  even  gently  hint  that  they  are  not  in  the 
way  of  safety.  The  web  thrown  around  them  is 
delicate,  its  texture  of  pleasing  colors,  and  they 
do  not  feel  it  tightening  closer  and  closer.  They 

91 


92         HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

are  not  conscious  of  danger.  If  you  whisper  to 
them  of  it  they  laugh  at  your  fears,  and  go  on 
gayly  to  a  final  hopeless  awakening  to  their  real 
position. 

Many  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  who  do  not  ac- 
knowledge their  master.  They  imagine  that  they 
can  break  away  from  the  service  of  God  without 
entering  any  other  service.  They  think  they  are 
free.  Oh,  how  great  is  their  mistake!  We  are 
never  free  until  we  are  born  into  God's  kingdom ; 
then,  indeed,  we  are  free  born ;  and  no  power  can 
take  away  from  us  our  birthright.  Another 
snare  which  Satan  lays  for  those  whom  he  de- 
sires to  possess,  is  to  conceal  himself  behind  su- 
perstition, and  make  them  believe  that  he  is  only 
a  myth,  a  fabulous  creature  invented  to  frighten 
simple-minded  people. 

It  is  true  that  we  can  neither  see  him  nor  hear 
him  nor  touch  him,  he  being  a  spirit,  but  we  have 
proof  enough  of  his  existence  by  the  havoc  he  has 
made  in  the  world,  which,  without  him,  would  be 
to  this  day  a  paradise.  He  is  a  liar  in  very  es- 
sence, and  many  are  deceived  by  him,  and  led  on 
step  by  step  to  destruction.  For  this  reason  God 
has  drawn  fixed  and  indelible  lines  between  right 
and  wrong.  Do  not  try  to  obliterate  them ;  you 
cannot.  There  are  no  crooked  paths  of  God's 
making;  none  which  leans  just  a  little  toward  the 
wrong.  Out  of  God's  path  you  are  in  Satan's 
path,  and  there  is  no  broad  road  nor  even  a  foot- 
path between  them. 


NO  MIDDLE  WAY  93 

The  things  which  are  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance to  us  are  by  twos  and  not  by  threes ;  good 
and  evil,  sin  and  holiness,  life  and  death,  God  and 
Satan,  heaven  and  hell.  Either  we  are  the  friends 
of  God,  or  his  enemies.  The  paths  in  this  world 
which  lead  on  to  the  next  are  already  marked 
out,  and  we  are  either  in  the  road  to  hell, 
or  in  the  road  to  heaven.  If  we  think  that  we 
are  in  a  path  between  the  two,  we  deceive  our- 
selves. 

Some  think  it  makes  no  difference  in  which  path 
we  walk,  and  that  a  loving  Creator  will  bring 
every  one  out  right,  somehow,  at  last.  Do  you 
think  that  the  Son  of  God  and  King  of  Heaven 
would  have  left  his  throne  to  come  to  this  world 
to  take  upon  himself  the  trial  of  being  human,  to 
endure  a  life  of  poverty,  suffering  and  hard  labor, 
and  die  a  disgraceful  death  upon  the  cross  if  it 
makes  no  difference,  if  there  be  a  middle  way  be- 
tween right  and  wrong  in  which  multitudes  may 
safely  walk? 

There  are  few  who  will  not  admit  that  it  is  our 
highest  duty,  and  for  our  highest  good  to  love 
and  obey  God;  but  many  such  seem  to  think  that 
the  teachings  of  the  Bible,  which  is  his  revealed 
will,  are  meant  for  others  than  themselves.  They 
are  good  enough  now.  They  do  not  need  a 
Savior.  If  they  do  the  best  they  know,  God  will 
not  reject  them.  How  can  any  one  do  the  best 
he  knows  and  still  reject  the  Word  of  God? 
Where  in  that  Word  does  God  suggest  a  com- 


94          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

promise  between  good  and  evil?  On  the  con- 
trary, the  contrasts  between  right  and  wrong,  be- 
tween the  position  of  the  righteous  and  the  wicked 
are  everywhere  strongly  marked. 

God  has  left  no  escape  from  the  thunderings 
of  his  anger  but  through  the  acceptance  of  his 
Son  as  Mediator  and  Redeemer.  This  way  he 
has  provided  for  our  salvation.  It  is  the  only 
way.  We  might  have  suggested  some  other,  but 
our  plans  are  as  nothing  before  his  plans.  His 
law  is  perfect.  His  testimonies  are  sure.  Who 
shall  gainsay  them  ?  Who  shall  so  blaspheme  God 
as  to  say,  "My  way  is  better  than  thy  way?" 
Yet  many  do  this  in  deed  if  not  in  word;  in 
thought  if  not  in  deed.  How  can  men  call  God 
severe  for  drawing  lines  so  straight  and  even, 
when  they  go  astray  so  easily?  How  could  he  be 
a  perfect  governor  of  the  world  and  do  otherwise? 
"Let  thine  eyes  look  right  on,  and  let  thine  eye- 
lids look  straight  before  thee.  Ponder  the  path 
of  thy  feet,  and  let  all  thy  ways  be  established. 
Turn  not  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left;  re- 
move thy  feet  from  evil." 

Young  man  or  young  woman,  whoever  you  are, 
high  or  low,  rich  or  poor,  known  or  unknown,  look 
the  truth  fearlessly  in  the  face,  and  deal  with 
things  as  they  are,  and  not  with  things  as  you 
would  like  to  have  them,  and  direct  your  life  ac- 
cordingly. Be  not  deceived  by  false  appear- 
ances. We  have  to  deal  with  real  things.  Arm 
yourself  for  a  fight  with  wrong  and  injustice  and 


NO  MIDDLE  WAY  95 

deceit.  These  things  are  in  the  world,  and  we 
have  to  meet  them.  The  evil  one  is  their  origina- 
tor. Meet  them  defiantly  with  God  and  truth 
on  your  side.  Lean  always  towards  God,  and  you 
will  pass  through  life's  ills  unharmed.  Lean  only 
a  little  towards  Satan,  and  you  are  in  imminent 
danger.  You  must  do  one  or  the  other  of  these, 
for  there  is  no  indifferent  middle  path. 

The  idea  of  being  in  the  service  of  such  a  being 
as  Satan  is  too  repulsive  for  men  to  accept;  and 
for  this  reason  they  do  not  realize  nor  acknowl- 
edge that  they  are  in  his  service,  neither  will  they 
take  sides  with  God.  But  it  is  impossible  to  serve 
God  a  little,  and  to  serve  Satan  a  little.  How 
vain  to  attempt  it!  Have  the  manliness,  at  least 
to  show  your  colors.  If  you  have  lived  until  now 
without  being  called  upon  to  determine  your  posi- 
tion, find  out  at  once  where  you  stand.  If  you 
are  not  for  God,  you  are  for  the  evil  one.  Does 
it  humiliate  you  to  think  of  it?  Do  you  say, 
"Impossible !"  It  is  not  only  possible,  but  the  liv- 
ing truth!  Does  it  startle  you?  It  may  well 
startle  you.  Perhaps  you  have  never  thought  of 
it  in  this  way  before ;  and  this  is  one  proof,  if 
you  are  not  for  Christ,  that  you  are  in  the  hands 
of  your  spiritual  enemy,  even  in  the  hands  of 
Satan  himself.  He  has  purposely  lulled  you  to 
sleep,  and  left  you  in  quiet.  Wake  up!  Rouse 
yourself  to  the  utmost!  He  has  breathed  upon 
you  his  poisonous  breath !  Break  away  from  him ! 
Trust  him  and  yourself  no  longer !  Look  to  God ! 


96          HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

He  alone  is  worthy  your  confidence  and  service. 
He  alone  can  help  you  on  to  everlasting  glory  and 
honor!  How  can  you  take  a  black-hearted  mon- 
ster, the  prince  of  devils,  to  be  your  guide?  Flee 
for  your  life  to  the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away 
the  sins  of  the  world.  Ashamed  to  come?  He 
bids  you  come  and  wash  in  his  blood  and  be  made 
clean  that  you  may  follow  him  in  the  path  to 
glory.  Will  you  come?  I  plead  with  you  to 
come! 

Oh,  how  blind  you  are  if  you  persistently  re- 
ject him;  if  you  grow  to  be  old,  and  still  reject 
him ;  if  you  call  him  "Lord,  Lord,"  and  yet  do  not 
keep  his  sayings,  but  build  your  foundations  upon 
the  sand,  to  be  thrown  down  in  that  day  when 
nothing  will  stand  which  is  not  founded  upon  the 
Rock  of  Ages ! 

Service  is  joy,  and  life  a  grand  victory,  if  we 
are  in  the  service  of  God.  How  absurd  to  try  to 
free  ourselves  from  him !  Helpless  in  his  sight  as 
little  children  are  in  our  sight,  wayward  and  re- 
bellious toward  him  as  children  are  to  us,  how  he 
must  pity  us !  And  oh,  how  he  must  love  us  to 
bear  patiently  with  us  so  long,  with  our  indiffer- 
ence to  him  and  to  his  dear  Son,  still  hoping  to 
save  us  from  eternal  death.  Then  let  us  look  to 
ourselves  at  once!  Let  us  not  lose  a  single  mo- 
ment. Let  us  flee  to  Jesus,  and  let  him  clothe 
us  in  his  own  righteousness.  Be  not  ashamed  to 
put  on  that  spotless  robe ;  for  if  you  are  ashamed 
to  confess  him  before  men,  then  will  he  have  reason 


NO  MIDDLE  WAY  97 

to  be  ashamed  of  you  in  that  day  when  he  comes 
to  judge  the  world. 

It  may  be  that  you  shrink  from  entering  the 
narrow  path.  The  path  of  righteousness  is  nar- 
row only  in  comparison  with  the  broad,  much 
frequented  path  of  sin.  It  is  wide  enough  for  all 
to  walk  therein  who  will.  It  lies  through  peaceful 
valleys,  and  beside  still  waters.  The  fruit  of  the 
land  is  sweet  to  the  taste,  and  refreshing  to  all 
who  eat  of  it.  Jesus  walks  in  the  midst  of  it,  and 
his  banner  of  love  overshadows  all.  It  may  be 
that  you  have  already  entered  this  narrow  path, 
but  are  so  far  from  your  guide  that  you  are  fre- 
quently straying  and  losing  your  way.  Keep 
close  to  Jesus,  and  you  can  never  lose  the  way. 

To  be  for  God,  to  have  his  protecting,  fatherly 
care,  to  have  Omniscience  and  Omnipotence  on 
your  side,  and  Infinite  Love,  how  glorious !  When 
Omniscience  and  Omnipotence  were  embodied  in 
humanity  that  heaven  might  touch  the  earth  and 
transfigure  it,  what  glory  and  honor  were  be- 
stowed upon  us  that  we  were  counted  worthy  the 
sacrifice  which  elicited  the  wonder  and  admiration 
of  all  heaven,  and  which  might  well  cause  all 
heaven  and  earth  to  bow  in  adoration  before  our 
Lord,  crying  "Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain 
to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and 
strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing." 
"Blessing  and  honor  and  glory,  and  power,  be 
unto  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto 
the  Lamb  forever  and  ever !" 


XIV 
ARE  WE  GROWING  OLD? 

We  are  apt  to  think  when  we  reach  forty-five 
or  fifty  years  that  we  are  beginning  to  grow  old. 
That  life  is  at  its  ebb;  that  whatever  prepara- 
tion for  the  fulfillment  of  life's  duties  we  have  neg- 
lected, cannot  be  made  now;  that  if  we  find  our- 
selves at  this  period  of  life  uneducated,  undevel- 
oped, wanting  in  this  or  that  acquirement  or  ac- 
complishment, there  is  little  use  in  trying  to  make 
up  for  it  now.  We  are  too  old.  Life  is  too  far 
gone.  We  shall  soon  be  growing  gray  and  pass- 
ing on  into  the  shadows.  But  let  us  look  back  a 
little.  How  many  years  of  our  life  were  devoted 
to  physical  growth?  Fourteen  or  fifteen.  How 
much  of  this  time  to  mental  development?  Seven 
or  eight.  How  much  time  at  the  college  or  sem- 
inary? Four  or  five,  making  eighteen  or  twenty 
in  all.  If  we  were  prepared  to  enter  upon  active 
life  at  the  early  age  of  twenty,  we  have  had  only 
twenty-five  or  thirty  years  of  activity,  and  are 
worn  out  at  that;  are  getting  past  our  prime! 
The  life-work  of  many  does  not  begin  until  they 
are  thirty  or  forty,  or  even  fifty  or  sixty ;  and  if 
we  are  cherishing  any  morbid,  unhealthy  fancies 
in  regard  to  our  waning  powers,  let  them  be  put 

98 


ARE  WE  GROWING  OLD?  99 

aside,  and  let  us  remember  that  we  are  now  in  our 
prime ;  and  if  we  have  already  wasted  so  much  of 
our  life  that  we  are  still  unprepared  for  earnest 
work,  let  us  begin  our  preparation  at  once. 
Thirty  or  forty  years  may  be  added  to  our  life, 
and  is  it  not  worth  while  to  spend  three,  four,  ten 
years,  if  need  be,  in  making  ready  for  that 
"added  length  of  days,"  even  at  forty-five  or 
fifty? 

Our  blessed  Lord  spent  thirty  years  in  prepara- 
tion for  a  ministry  of  three  years.  Should  not 
this  be  a  lesson  of  patient  perseverance  and  a  re- 
buke to  our  haste  and  superficialness  in  our  own 
education  and  development?  It  is  unfortunate 
that  it  should  be  necessary  to  begin  any  prepara- 
tion late  in  life,  for  one  does  not  then  learn  so 
easily,  and  there  are  many  more  distractions  and 
cares ;  but  it  is  far  better  then  than  not  at  all. 
What  we  need  to  do  first  is  to  rid  ourselves  of 
the  idea  that  we  are  too  old  to  learn.  The  best 
part  of  life  is  before  us.  Forty-five  or  fifty  years 
of  experience  have  not  been  lost.  We  can  look 
upon  life  more  calmly,  and  with  a  clearer  vision. 
We  can  weigh  people  and  things  more  accurately, 
and  adjust  them  in  their  proper  places  as  re- 
gards ourselves.  We  are  stronger  in  our  man- 
hood and  womanhood,  and  stronger  in  faith  and 
hope.  Many  things  have  disappointed  us,  but 
there  is  much  left  which  cannot  disappoint. 

We  have,  perhaps,  spent  much  time  in  the  ac- 
cumulation of  property,  in  the  care  of  children, 


100   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

in  seeking  to  advance  our  own  interests.  Now 
we  may  be  able  to  give  more  time  to  others  in 
such  ways  as  are  presented  to  us,  and  if  our 
years  for  preparation  have  not  been  idly  wasted, 
how  much  good  may  every  one  of  us  accomplish ! 

Forty  years  seem  long  when  we  think  only  of 
our  life  here,  especially  to  those  who  have  ex- 
perienced much  sorrow  and  many  changes ;  but  in 
the  thought  of  the  eternal  years,  it  is  only  a  be- 
ginning. When  we  realize  that  to  the  soul  there 
comes  neither  decay  nor  death,  how  can  we  ever 
feel  that  we  are  growing  old?  When  millions  and 
millions  of  years  have  passed,  we  shall  still  be 
young.  Why  should  we  consider  the  years  that 
are  gone  as  a  large  part  of  our  lives?  We  are 
babes  still,  cradle-rocked  in  the  arms  of  God, 
still  needing  his  guiding  hand  that  we  may  be 
kept  from  falling,  still  loving  the  foolish  things 
of  this  world,  and  often  thinking  our  own  way 
the  best.  Old  at  forty-five  or  fifty?  Why,  we 
are  just  beginning  to  walk  a  little  by  catching 
hold  of  objects  nearest  to  us.  Ours  is  but  a 
child's  comprehension  of  the  all  that  is  begun  here 
to  be  perfected  in  heaven. 

As  regards  this  life,  we  may  indeed  feel  that 
the  dignity  of  manhood  and  womanhood  is  ours 
at  fifty,  that  the  season  of  life  called  youth  is 
wholly  passed,  that  we  stand  at  a  point  where 
the  past  and  the  future  are  about  evenly  bal- 
anced. If  it  be  a  grand  thing  to  have  lived  so 
long,  it  will  be  grander  still  to  live  thirty  or  forty 


ARE  WE  GROWING  OLD?'          101 

years  longer.  It  would  seem  that  after  so  much 
experience  the  rest  of  life  might  count  for  much. 
That  there  need  be  no  more  time  wasted,  no  more 
energy  spent  upon  unworthy  objects  or  pursuits, 
no  more  feeding  upon  common  fare,  but  that  the 
rest  of  life  should  be  rich  and  full,  with  each  day 
showing  a  better  fitness  for  heaven,  until  we  are 
bowed  down  with  age,  yet  only  for  a  little  while 
here,  to  wake  some  morning  yonder  to  find  our- 
selves forever  young. 

Then  take  up  your  life-work  just  where  you 
have  laid  it  down.  You  are  still  young  and 
strong  for  work  and  with  the  richness  and  fullness 
of  advancing  years,  there  may  come  into  your  soul 
joy  and  peace,  the  conscious  reward  of  work  well 
done.  Try  to  comprehend  the  all  of  life.  Avoid 
using  it  as  if  it  were  merely  something  to  be  en- 
dured; as  if  the  life-battle  were  only  to  gain  a 
sustenance  for  the  body.  Even  to  the  humblest 
laborer  life  should  be  something  more  than  this. 
It  should  be  to  him  the  threshold  of  heaven;  all 
his  troubles  and  hardships  only  stepping-stones 
thither.  None  needs  be  a  mere  laborer.  Work 
is  not  incompatible  with  the  deepest  spirituality, 
the  highest  sensitiveness  and  refinement.  To  be 
spiritual  it  is  not  necessary  to  retire  within  se- 
cluded walls,  or  to  lay  aside  the  active  pursuits  of 
life.  Spiritual  and  temporal  things  need  not 
clash.  As  the  body  and  spirit  serve  each  other, 
so  the  natural  and  spiritual  go  together  in  our 
lives.  We  need  not  seek  to  separate  them.  We 


1C2        HERE -AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

need  not  think  that  spirituality  is  impossible  when 
days  are  filled  with  ordinary  labor. 

The  Savior  of  the  world,  by  leading  the  way, 
made  it  possible  for  us  to  perform  the  humblest 
duty,  and  at  the  same  time  keep  the  mind  clear, 
the  heart  pure,  and  the  spirit  calm.  While  look- 
ing at  the  stars  we  need  not  stumble  in  our  way. 
While  our  hands  are  busy,  the  spirit  may  be  free. 
It  is  desirable  to  have  our  surroundings  pleasant 
and  beautiful,  to  have  the  dwelling  cheerful  and 
attractive  with  artistic  decoration,  many  books, 
and  fine  pictures.  How  much  more  desirable  a 
spiritual  beauty,  with  resources  for  unfailing  hap- 
piness in  a  mind  at  rest.  In  one's  self  must  be 
the  source  of  the  spring  which  will  keep  fresh  and 
green  all  the  pathway  of  life,  and  secure  a  per- 
petual youth.  What  if  the  walls  are  bare  and  the 
house  desolate?  In  the  soul  there  may  be  wealth 
and  beauty  and  j  oy  which  will  endure  forever,  and 
without  which  all  external  adornment  and  appar- 
ent joy  will  be  as  ashes. 

Whatever  your  age  may  be,  train  yourself  to 
the  highest  culture.  Begin  at  the  right  place 
that  you  may  lose  neither  time  nor  effort.  Seek 
first  the  kingdom  of  God.  In  the  Lord's  prayer, 
the  petitions,  "Thy  kingdom  come,  thy  will  be 
done,"  come  before  all  personal  petitions.  If  all 
had  begun  the  Christian  life  in  childhood,  what  an 
advantage  would  have  been  gained ;  but,  alas !  how 
many  have  waited  until  they  were  old !  To  follow 
the  wrong  path  forty,  fifty,  seventy  years,  and 


ARE  WE  GROWING  OLD?  103 

only  seek  the  kingdom  in  the  last  hours  of  life,  or 
not  at  all,  how  dreadful! 

We  count  the  years  allotted  to  the  life  of  the 
body.  The  length  of  time  allotted  to  the  life  of 
the  soul  cannot  be  estimated.  Let  not  the  num- 
ber of  years  weigh  too  heavily  upon  the  spirit ;  it 
can  never  grow  old,  but  it  can  grow  in  goodness 
and  knowledge,  in  love  and  purity,  until  it  will 
bear  the  weight  of  declining  physical  powers  in 
a  sweet  and  heavenly  manner,  and  second  child- 
hood will  be  but  the  renewal  of  the  spirit's  youth, 
and  an  obedient  answer  to  the  suggestion  of  our 
Savior,  "Except  ye  become  as  little  children  ye 
can  in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
All  of  us  call  to  mind  examples  of  this  in  dear 
old  people  whom  we  have  known,  when  it  seemed 
that  the  older  they  grew,  the  more  lovely  they 
became,  until  "Holiness  to  the  Lord"  was  written 
on  their  foreheads. 

In  the  prime  of  life  we  stand  upon  an  eminence 
from  which  we  can  look  both  ways ;  backward  to 
infancy,  forward  to  old  age.  The  long  slope  up 
which  we  have  climbed  to  reach  this  eminence  is 
shrouded  in  mist  in  the  distance,  and  we  cannot 
see  its  beginnings  clearly.  Memory  fails  to  re- 
veal to  us  the  lights  and  shadows  of  infancy ;  but 
where  the  mist  ends,  clear  sunshine  begins,  with 
only  here  and  there  a  shadow  as  of  a  man's  hand. 
Later,  the  shadows  are  larger,  and  storms 
threaten,  but  near  us  is  a  clear  sky,  and  the  clouds 
are  bright,  as  at  noonday.  Directly  above  there 


104   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

may  be  dark  clouds,  or  a  sky  of  heavenly  blue; 
but  we  may  look  calmly  at  either,  for  we  are 
nearing  the  slope  on  the  other  side,  down  which 
we  see  cool  avenues  and  refreshing  streams ;  and 
though,  farther  on,  we  fancy  that  we  see  clouds 
gathering,  and  deep,  bridgeless  rivers,  we  see  be- 
yond the  river  and  the  clouds,  our  Sun  and 
Shield;  in  the  west  where  the  sun  sets,  we  see 
heavenly  glory,  and  through  an  open  window  in 
the  battlements  of  the  sky,  heaven's  portals  glis- 
tening, and  a  beckoning  hand,  and  hear  a  voice 
saying,  "Fear  not,  for  I  have  redeemed  thee. 
When  thou  passeth  through  the  waters  I  will  be 
with  thee,  and  through  the  rivers  they  shall  not 
overflow  thee ;  when  thou  walkest  through  the  fire 
thou  shalt  not  be  burned;  neither  shall  the  flame 
kindle  upon  thee.  Sing,  Oh,  heavens;  and  be  joy- 
ful, Oh,  earth ;  and  break  forth  into  singing,  Oh, 
mountains ;  for  the  Lord  has  comforted  his  peo- 
ple." 

Surely  we  need  not  fear  or  be  troubled  as  we 
enter  upon  the  sunset  slopes  of  life.  While  our 
bodies,  after  a  few  years,  begin  to  lose  their  vigor, 
our  spirits  may  mount  still  higher,  and  gain  vic- 
tory after  victory  until  all  the  battles  are  fought, 
and  we  calmly  wait  our  turn  to  pass  into  the 
shadows ;  then  in  a  moment,  to  exchange  the  cross 
for  the  crown,  the  decay  of  earth  and  the  feeble- 
ness of  old  age  for  the  glory  of  immortality  and 
days  of  eternal  youth. 

Fifty  years  in  the  past;  forty,  perhaps,  in  the 


ARE  WE  GROWING  OLD?  105 

future.  Is  it  not  nearly  certain  that  the  last 
years  may  be  the  best,  may  bring  forth  fruit 
abundantly  from  the  seed  sown  from  childhood 
until  now?  We  value  time  too  little.  What  may 
one  year  do  for  us,  or  what  may  we  do  in  one 
year?  Let  us  reach  out  hands  of  helpfulness, 
reach  out  hands  of  love ;  and  whatever  we  find  to 
do,  do  it  with  our  might.  For  when  the  Son  of 
Man  cometh,  shall  he  find  the  fields  white  to  the 
harvest,  and  we  not  reaping?  Shall  he  find  the 
sheaves  bound  and  ready,  and  we  not  gathering 
them  in?  Whatever  our  age,  shall  he  find  us  idly 
waiting  because  we  are  growing  old? 


XV 

THE  RISEN  CHRIST 

He  is  not  here,  but  is  risen. — Luke  24:6. 

That  Jesus  Christ  was  a  man  of  singular  beauty 
and  divine  perfection,  in  every  way  surpassing 
the  children  of  men,  all  who  study  his  life  and 
character  must  admit.  That  his  position  was 
unique  no  one  can  deny.  Never  since  the  world 
began  had  any  one  been  in  his  place.  Suspended, 
as  it  were,  between  heaven  and  earth,  between 
ages  past  and  ages  to  come,  neither  wholly  hu- 
man nor  yet  wholly  divine,  the  incarnate  Son  of 
God.  Most  wonderful  and  miraculous  was  his 
birth,  his  life  unlike  that  of  any  other  man,  and 
his  victory  over  death  that  of  a  God.  We  hold 
sacred  the  days  of  his  birth,  his  death  and  his 
resurrection ;  for  are  not  the  mysteries  of  these 
days  fraught  with  important  meanings  to  us  all? 

Jesus  did  not  come  into  this  world  to  enact  a 
tragedy  for  our  entertainment.  The  man  whose 
birth  angels  heralded,  whose  lowly  birth-place  was 
pointed  out  to  Wise  Men  seeking  him,  by  a  star, 
to  whom  God  spoke  out  of  the  heavens  at  his  bap- 
tism in  the  river  Jordan,  saying,  "This  is  my  be- 
loved Son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased,"  at  whose 

death  upon  the  cross  darkness  covered  the  face  of 

106 


THE  RISEN  CHRIST  107 

the  earth  and  the  veil  of  the  temple  was  rent, 
could  have  been  no  ordinary  man.  He  who  held 
in  control  all  the  forces  of  nature,  all  unseen  and 
spiritual  forces,  who,  according  to  the  annals  of 
one  brief  chapter,  cleansed  the  leper  by  his  touch, 
healed  the  servant  of  the  centurion  by  a  word, 
cured  Peter's  wife's  mother,  cast  out  many  devils, 
healed  all  the  sick  who  were  brought  to  him,  and 
calmed  the  tempest  by  his  "Peace  be  still!"  was, 
indeed,  divinely  human,  and  humanly  divine. 
Meekly,  day  by  day,  he  bore  his  cross  of  pain  and 
sorrow,  unappreciated,  misunderstood,  cursed  and 
spit  upon,  that  we  might  escape  eternal  death; 
that  through  his  life,  death  and  resurrection,  we 
might  live  through  all  the  eternal  years  clothed 
with  the  white  robes  of  his  own  righteousness. 

Nineteen  centuries  have  run  their  course,  and 
still  the  bells  ring  out  on  Easter  Day : 

"Good  news  to  all  the  world !" 

"Good  news  to  all !" 

"The  Lord  is  risen  indeed!"     "He  is  a-risen!" 
This  day  the  sepulcher  has  opened  wide 
Its  doors  to  let  the  King  of  Glory  pass ! 
All  hail !     Thou  mighty,  glorious  One,  all  hail ! 
We  crown  thee  victor  over  sin  and  death, 
And  raise  our  voices  high  in  songs  of  praise, 
And  Easter  lilies  bring  into  thy  courts 
Sweet  emblems  of  thy  purity  and  love, 
And  low  in  adoration  bow  before 
Our  risen  Lord,  our  Prophet,  Priest  and  King ! 


108   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

All  nature  awakes  to  new  life  at  this  glad  time. 
Birds  sing  carols,  and  flowers  waft  their  fra- 
grance toward  the  high  heavens.  The  sun  shines 
more  brightly,  and  the  trees  wave  their  branches 
instinct  with  new  life,  whispering  to  one  another, 
"The  Lord  is  risen !"  The  little  rills  far  up  the 
hillside  whisper  it  to  the  ferns  and  wind-flowers 
just  waking  out  of  sleep.  Every  leaf  and  bud, 
every  blade  of  grass,  is  delighting  in  the  fresh- 
ness of  its  new  life. 

How  our  hearts  are  gladdened  as  we  behold 
everywhere  this  awakening;  and  as  we  realize  just 
what  it  all  means,  just  what  the  risen  Christ  is 
to  us,  what  peace  fills  our  hearts,  even  the  peace 
of  our  blessed  Lord ! 

O  blessed  peace  of  God !     Eye  hath  not  seen, 
Ear  hath  not  heard,  this  wondrous,  holy,  thing! 
More  pure  than  air  of  morning  bright,  in  May, 
More  sweet  than  perfume  of  the  lovely  rose, 
Or  of  the  lily  white,  fresh  from  his  hand ! 
Our  loved  ones  gone  now  know  that  peace  in  full. 
We,  too,  may  know  its  fulness ;  for  our  hearts 
Through  all  the  shining  way  to  glory  bright 
Go  softly  with  our  best  beloved  to  heaven! 

This  is  a  time  for  gentleness,  for  patience,  for 
quiet  joy;  a  time  to  forgive  all  known  and  un- 
known enemies,  and  to  be  more  tender  and  true  to 
friends.  It  is  also  a  time  to  follow  the  Lord  from 
the  manger  to  the  resurrection,  and  to  roll  off  our 
burdens  at  his  feet,  that  we  may  have  light  hearts 


THE  RISEN  CHRIST  109 

and  bright  faces  and  words  of  cheer  for  those 
who  cannot  see  him  through  their  sins  or  through 
their  tears. 

From  this  day  let  each  one  try  to  live  as  he 
lived,  refusing  to  carry  needless  burdens,  and 
making  each  day  count  much  by  appreciating  its 
blessings,  and  using  to  best  purpose  its  gifts. 
May  the  Easter  bells  ring  out  all  that  is  unholy 
in  the  home,  and  ring  in  joy  and  peace  which 
shall  endure  throughout  the  year.  This  is  a  time 
to  make  every  one  happy,  and  to  give  simple  gifts 
in  commemoration  of  the  greatest  gift  of  God  to 
us  in  his  dear  Son.  A  time  to  hallow  his  name, 
and  let  his  kingdom  come,  and  his  will  be  done 
in  our  hearts  as  it  is  done  in  heaven.  For  is  not 
our  Lord  indeed  risen  that  we  may  rise  from  the 
grave  of  dead  hopes,  of  disappointments,  of  trials, 
of  sins  ?  And  is  he  not  our  Wonderful,  our  Coun- 
selor, our  Prince  of  Peace? 

He  is  not  a  dead  Christ.  He  does  not  mock  us 
with  promises  he  cannot  or  will  not  fulfill.  Of  the 
earth  earthy,  and  knowing  our  needs,  of  heaven 
heavenly,  and  knowing  his  own  power,  he  carries 
on  his  heart  our  burdens  that  we  may  have  rest, 
and  gives  us  his  peace  that  we  may  not  be 
troubled  or  afraid,  if  we  go  to  him — if  we  go! 
What  does  the  resurrection  of  the  Christ  teach  us 
but  that  for  all  there  will  be  a  resurrection  into 
new  life?  Old  things  will  pass  away,  and  we  shall 
enter  upon  a  more  advanced  stage  of  existence  of 
which  this  life  is  only  the  threshold.  It  will  not 


110   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

be  to  fold  our  wings  and  sit  and  play  upon  harps 
and  viols  throughout  eternity,  but  to  be  co- 
workers  with  God  in  all  that  he  finds  to  do  for 
his  great  family  in  this  world,  and,  perhaps,  in 
other  worlds. 

A  God  who  can  make  anything  so  beautiful  as 
the  Easter  Lily  and  cause  it  to  reproduce  its  own 
kind  year  after  year,  generation  after  generation, 
with  no  diminishing  of  beauty  or  sweet  fragrance 
will  take  care  of  us  and  our  loved  ones  who  fell 
asleep  one  day  to  wake  in  heaven.  He  will  keep 
them  for  us,  and  in  his  presence  they  will  grow 
more  and  more  into  his  likeness,  and  we  shall  some- 
time walk  with  them  the  streets  of  gold  and 
breathe  the  heavenly  air  of  the  New  Jerusalem, 
the  city  that  is  builded  without  hands,  the  founda- 
tions of  which  are  of  all  manner  of  precious 
stones ;  the  first  foundation  is  j  asper,  the  second 
sapphire,  the  third  a  chalcedony,  the  last  an  ame- 
thyst! 


XVI 
THE  PARTING  OF  THE  WAY 

At  every  parting  of  the  way,  look  carefully  for 
the  sign  of  the  cross ;  and  do  not  let  your  eyes  be- 
come so  dazed  by  the  shining  of  the  showy,  gilded 
sign-board  pointing  the  other  way,  that  you  do 
not  see  the  words  upon  the  cross  written  in  letters 
of  blood,  "THIS  WAY,  MY  CHILD." 

When  you  are  greatly  perplexed,  and  in  doubt 
what  to  do,  you  are  at  a  cross-road,  and  it  is  of 
the  utmost  importance  what  way  you  take,  for 
the  termination  of  the  two  ways  may  be  vastly 
remote  from  each  other,  and  one  of  them  must,  of 
necessity,  lead  you  entirely  away  from  the  place 
for  which  you  set  out. 

There  are  many  paths  which  cross  each  other, 
so  small  that  you  think  you  do  not  need  direction, 
that  it  makes  no  difference  which  one  you  take. 
It  does  make  much  difference.  Many  foot-paths 
lead  into  highways,  and  some  that  seem  straight 
in  the  beginning  are  crooked,  and  you  waste  time 
in  taking  them,  even  if  they  come  out  right  at 
last.  Time  is  short,  and  you  need  to  follow  the 
straight  and  unobstructed  paths  to  worthy  goals. 
Even  at  the  outset,  there  is  no  time  to  lose ;  and 

at  twenty,  thirty,  forty  years,  surely  there  is  none. 
Ill 


112   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

You  sometimes  think  that  you  would  like  to  go 
back  and  start  again.  How  much  better  to  have 
gone  rightly  from  the  beginning,  so  as  to  waste 
no  time  in  retracing  your  steps.  And  then,  the 
course  of  the  years  is  ever  onward;  we  cannot  re- 
trace our  steps.  . 

Sometimes  you  think  there  is  some  mistake,  be- 
cause your  path  is  narrow  and  obscure,  leading 
through  unfrequented  regions.  If  you  are  follow- 
ing the  path  marked  out  by  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
do  not  doubt,  do  not  be  discouraged.  You  know 
not  how  soon  or  how  suddenly  it  may  emerge  into 
the  broad  highway,  or  into  the  golden  streets  of 
heaven.  The  cross-roads  and  diverging  paths  in 
life  are  many.  We  are  often  compelled  to  ask, 
"Which  is  the  right  way?"  Dare  to  ask  it  of 
no  one  but  Jesus  Christ.  His  answer  will  always 
be,  "The  way  of  the  cross." 

There  are  paths  which  look  pleasant  and  safe, 
wherein  we  see  many  walking,  into  which  we  are 
tempted  to  enter.  Can  we  place  a  cross  at  the 
entrance  to  these  paths  without  desecrating  it? 
Can  we  walk  in  them  without  grieving  our  Lord? 

To  what  are  we  asking  the  way?  To  wealth, 
to  honor,  to  fame?  The  cross  leads  not  to  these. 
It  points  in  the  way  he  trod.  Are  you  able  to 
follow  in  the  thorny,  desolate  way,  rejected  of 
men,  crucified  as  to  your  own  will,  then  go  by  the 
sign  of  the  cross.  He  endured  all  this,  and  more, 
for  you,  and  is  it  not  a  small  matter  for  you  to 
give  your  life  to  him  that  he  may  use  it  as  he 


THE  PARTING  OF  THE  WAY      113 

wills?  While  one  side  of  the  cross  is  dyed  in 
blood,  the  other  side  is  illuminated  and  emits  rays 
of  light  which  pierce  far  into  the  unknown  path 
before  us,  revealing  Jesus  walking  as  our  guide; 
and  if  in  moments  of  discouragement  we  think 
some  other  way  might  lead  more  smoothly  on  to 
the  same  goal,  we  have  only  to  listen  quietly  to 
hear  the  gentle  voice,  "This  is  the  way,  my  child !" 

The  cross  points  to  everything  pure  and  beauti- 
ful. The  other  sign-board  points  to-  selfishness, 
to  sin,  and  to  a  final  dwarfing  of  the  soul  to 
minute  proportions,  so  that  God  would  hardly 
recognize  it  as  the  work  of  his  hands.  The  cross 
here  points  to  the  crown  in  heaven,  to  golden 
harps,  to  everlasting  glory;  the  other  sign-board 
to  chains,  to  final  condemnation,  to  endless  re- 
morse. 

Do  not  think  that  the  cross  points  one  way  to 
all.  It  turns  upon  the  pivot  of  God's  love,  and 
points  in  different  ways,  according  to  his  will. 
The  way  to  some  is  over  a  hill  Difficulty,  or 
through  sloughs  of  despondency,  or  through 
shadowy  valleys.  But  the  Guide  is  always  at 
hand,  to  assist  at  need.  To  some  there  are  lions 
in  the  way,  but  they  need  not  fear.  God  will  send 
an  angel  to  shut  the  lions'  mouths. 

When  we  come  to  diverging  paths,  one  may 
seem  smooth  and  safe,  the  other  rough  and  dan- 
gerous. It  is  quite  natural  to  choose  the  smooth 
way ;  but  if  the  cross  points  to  the  dangerous 
path,  enter  it  fearlessly.  There  is  no  danger  too 


114   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

great  to  encounter  for  his  sake  who  bore  the 
cross,  and  often,  things  that  frighten  us  are  only 
lions  chained. 

When  hard  questions  perplex,  look  carefully  to 
see  which  way  the  cross  points.  When  tempted 
to  follow  broad  and  inviting  paths,  let  us  look  for 
the  cross.  When  we  are  weary  and  discouraged, 
the  cross  points  to  rest  after  toil.  When  we  are 
sin-burdened,  it  points  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  our 
sacrifice.  When  we  are  lonely,  it  points  to  Jesus, 
our  best  friend.  When  we  mourn,  it  points  to 
him,  our  comforter. 

"THIS  WAY,  MY  CHILD."  Ever  near  us,  placing 
at  every  parting  of  the  way  his  cross,  is  our  Re- 
deemer, who  died  that  we  might  live  forever,  re- 
deemed, glorified,  a  great  company  which  no  man 
can  number  around  the  throne,  forever  blessed, 
with  crosses  all  left  behind,  and  crowns  resplen- 
dent with  jewels,  and  the  glory  of  God  and  his 
Son  filling  all.  The  cross  at  the  beginning  of  the 
way,  and  at  many  turning-points,  and  at  the  end 
the  crown  of  glory  for  all  who  forsake  not  the 
way  of  the  cross! 

Make  a  wise  choice  at  the  parting  of  the  way ! 


XVII 
WORDS  OF  CHEER  FOR  THE  AGED 

Cast  me  not  off"  in  the  time  of  old  age;  forsake  me  not 
when  my  strength  faileth. — Psalm  71:9. 

And  even  to  your  old  age  I  am  he;  and  even  to  hoar 
hairs  will  I  carry  you.  I  have  made  and  I  will  bear;  even 
I  will  carry  you  and  will  deliver  you. — Isaiah  46:4. 

They  shall  still  bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age—Ps&lm  92:14. 

When  we  are  young,  everything  wears  a  roseate 
hue.  Nothing  daunts  us.  We  feel,  in  the  glow 
of  hope  and  in  the  strength  of  young  manhood 
and  young  womanhood,  that  no  obstacles  are  too 
great  to  overcome.  That  success  lies  before  us; 
that  there  is  no  such  word  as  fail.  But  in  the 
deepening  shadows,  when  the  eye  begins  to  grow 
dim  and  the  step  to  falter,  when  we  cannot  hear 
quite  so  well  as  formerly  and  all  the  senses  are 
less  acute,  and  we  begin  to  stoop  and  to  lean  more 
heavily  upon  the  proffered  arm  of  a  dear  friend, 
perhaps  our  courage  fails  a  little  and  things  do 
not  look  so  bright  to  us.  We  dread  approaching 
infirmity  and  possible  helplessness,  and  pray  most 
fervently  that  God  will  not  cast  us  off  in  old  age 
or  forsake  us  when  our  strength  fails ;  and  the 
answer  quickly  comes ;  "Even  to  hoar  hairs  will  I 
carry  you  and  will  deliver  you." 

Oh,   how   sweet   this   precious   promise  of  our 

115 


116   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

Lord !  Will  carry  you !  As  the  mother  carries 
her  child,  too  weak  to  walk  alone,  so  the  Lord 
will  carry  you,  my  good  friend,  and  will  deliver  you 
from  every  evil  thing.  Rest  in  his  arms  and  fear 
not.  Over  hills  and  through  valleys,  across  deep 
ravines,  up  steep  precipices,  over  dark  and  im- 
penetrable chasms  he  will  bear  you  safe  to  the 
"land  of  the  leal." 

They  say  that  you  are  growing  old  because 
your  hair  is  silvered,  and  there  are  crow's  feet  on 
your  forehead  and  your  step  is  not  so  firm  and 
elastic  as  before.  But  they  are  mistaken.  That 
is  not  you.  The  brow  is  wrinkled,  but  the  brow 
is  not  you.  It  is  the  body  only  which  is  growing 
old,  the  building  in  which  you  have  lived  so  long 
that  it  is  tumbling  down  around  you ;  but  you, 
yourself,  are  young,  younger  than  you  ever  were 
before,  nearer  to  eternal  youth !  When  you  go 
out  from  this  old  building,  you  will  be  like  the 
butterfly  emerging  from  the  chrysalis,  beautiful, 
young,  glorified,  shining,  all-glorious  in  the  like- 
ness of  Christ,  if  you  are  one  of  the  redeemed. 

What  if  there  be  clouds?  Without  clouds 
there  can  be  no  sunset  glory ;  and  a  morning  with- 
out clouds  will  soon  dawn  upon  you.  Then  do  not 
feel  sad  because  your  body  is  growing  old.  Your 
spirit  is  young,  and  your  last  days  may  be  your 
best  days  while  you  are  waiting  on  the  border- 
land for  the  coming  of  his  feet  who  will  bear  you 
across  the  river,  into  the  New  Jerusalem !  How 
blessed!  Work  all  done,  victories  all  won,  with 


CHEER  FOR  THE  AGED  117 

sins  all  washed  away,  with  hearts  at  peace  with 
God  and  man,  resting  in  the  arms  of  Love,  eter- 
nally young,  waiting  to  behold  the  King  in  his 
glory ! 

"The  righteous  shall  flourish  like  the  palm  tree. 
They  shall  bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age."  The 
palm  tree  has  a  long  life.  If  pressed  downwards 
by  heavy  weights  it  will  spring  back  into  its  natu- 
ral shape  on  the  weights  being  removed.  The 
more  it  is  oppressed  the  more  it  flourishes.  The 
older  it  is,  the  stronger  and  broader  is  the  top. 
Palm  trees  produce  from  the  same  root  a  number 
of  shoots,  which  form,  by  spreading,  a  kind  of 
forest.  To  flourish  like  the  palm  tree  is  to  be 
beautiful  in  Christ's  beauty,  graceful  in  his  grace 
and  useful  without  limitations,  bearing  fruit  even 
in  old  age ;  to  have  the  resiliency  of  the  palm  tree 
when  old  age  weighs  heavily,  or  misfortunes  over- 
take us ;  to  see  to  it  that  the  older  we  grow,  the 
greater  will  be  our  influence  for  good. 

"The  righteous  shall  flourish  like  the  palm 
tree."  Claim  this  promise  for  yourself,  dear 
friend,  and  take  comfort  and  courage.  As  one 
little  root  or  seed  will,  after  a  time,  produce  a 
forest,  so  the  smallest  deed  done  in  Christ's  name, 
whether  we  are  young  or  old,  will  grow,  and  grow 
throughout  the  ages ! 

Turn  your  faces  away  from  the  cold  and  frozen 
North,  and  face  the  sunny  South.  Look  at  the 
bright  things  of  life;  the  smiles  of  little  children, 
the  joy  of  the  lover  and  the  maiden,  the  greater 


118   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

j  oy  of  the  father  and  mother  beholding  their  first- 
born child.  Take  comfort  in  your  children  and 
your  grandchildren.  Your  smile  is  a  benediction 
to  them.  Although  you  may  not  always  realize 
it,  you  hold  a  warm  place  in  their  hearts  which  no 
one  else  can  fill. 

If  you  have  none  upon  whom  to  smile,  no  one 
to  receive  your  benediction,  then  smile  at  your 
Lord,  whose  love  and  sympathy  are  even  more 
precious  than  that  of  the  dearest  child.  Put 
away  gloom  from  your  life.  Are  not  roses  and 
lilies  blooming  all  about  you?  Open  your  eyes  to 
see  them.  Roses  have  thorns?  Do  not  thorns 
also  have  roses? 

Perhaps  you  are  feeble  and  lame;  perhaps  un- 
able to  walk.  Think  of  Jess  in  "A  Window  in 
Thrums."  For  more  than  twenty  years  she  had 
not  been  able  to  go  so  far  as  the  door.  With  her 
husband  or  daughter  to  lean  upon,  and  her  hand 
clutching  her  staff,  twice  a  day,  when  she  was 
strong,  she  took  the  journey  between  her  bed  and 
the  window  where  stood  her  chair.  Thinking  of 
Samuel  Fletcher's  case  made  her  awful  thankful 
for  the  lenient  way  the  Lord  had  always  dealt 
with  her;  for  Samuel  could  not  move  out  of  his 
chair,  and  she  could  come  and  go  between  hers 
and  her  bed.  "Mebbe,"  she  would  say,  "ye  think 
I'm  no  better  off  than  Samuel,  but  that's  a  ter- 
rible mistake.  What  a  glory  it  would  have  been 
to  him  if  he  could  have  gone  from  one  end  o'  the 
kitchen  to  the  ither!  Aye,  I'm  sure  o'  that!" 


CHEER  FOR  THE  AGED  119 

Jess  was  facing  the  sunny  South  and  smiling  into 
the  face  of  her  Lord. 

Growing  old?  Aye,  yes,  it  must  be  so.  That 
is,  the  body  fails.  Through  sympathy,  the  mind 
may  fail  too ;  but  this  is  only  for  a  season.  We 
cannot  hold  up  the  days  or  the  years.  They  ad- 
vance steadily,  one  by  one,  until,  almost  before 
we  know  it,  we  count  sixty,  seventy,  perhaps 
eighty  years.  The  days  of  our  youth  are  almost 
lost  in  the  dim  past,  and  the  heavenly  shores 
seem  so  near  that  we  can  almost  hear  the  music, 
and  see  the  angelic  throng  before  the  throne  sing- 
ing a  new  song — "Thou  art  worthy  to  take  the 
book  and  to  open  the  seals  thereof ;  for  thou  wast 
slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood, 
out  of  every  kindred  and  tongue  and  people,  and 
nation.  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to 
receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom  and 
strength,  and  honor,  and  glory  and  blessing. 
Blessing,  and  honor,  and  glory  and  power,  be  unto 
him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the 
Lamb  forever  and  ever !" 

We  do  grow  old.  It  cannot  be  helped ;  and  we 
are  set  aside,  in  a  way,  to  make  room  for  our 
sons  and  daughters ;  and  we  can  never  again  oc- 
cupy our  old  places,  in  the  world,  or  in  our  homes. 
Well,  and  what  then?  Then,  if  we  are  wise,  we 
may  occupy  an  especial  place  of  honor  in  the 
world,  and  in  the  home.  Children  and  grandchil- 
dren may  love  and  reverence  us,  and  strive  to 
make  our  failing  powers  less  irksome  to  us.  By 


120   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

our  cheerfulness  and  hopefulness,  we  may  add  to 
the  happiness  of  the  family  life. 

The  years  may  weigh  heavily,  but  it  is  only  for 
a  little  while.  Beyond  the  smiling  and  the  weep- 
ing, there  is  rest  and  peace.  Close,  close  under 
the  shadow  of  the  Almighty,  you  are  protected. 
You  are  loved  with  an  infinite  love,  and  upheld 
day  and  night  by  the  Everlasting  Arms!  God 
holds  you  safe  for  the  blessed  awakening  into  full 
vigor,  to  be  eternally  young!  Certainly  it  is 
desperately  lonely  for  you,  if  your  husband  or 
your  wife  has  gone  on  before  you,  or  if  you  have 
never  had  the  most  precious  earthly  blessing,  a 
loving  husband  or  a  devoted  wife;  but  there  are 
compensations.  Try  to  find  them.  They  may 
be  nearer  at  hand  than  you  think.  At  all  events 
do  not  complain.  Count  your  daily  blessings. 
Review  the  pleasant  hours  of  your  past  life. 
Bury  the  sorrows  deep  in  God's  love. 

Look  forward!  You  cannot  change  the  past, 
and  you  waste  time  and  strength  worrying  about 
it.  Grow  sweeter  every  day.  There  is  no  place 
for  grumblers  in  this  world  or  in  any  other  world. 
Let  it  be  said  of  you  after  you  are  called  home, 
"My  friend  grew  old  gracefully." 

We  feel  hurt,  perhaps,  the  first  time  we  hear 
some  one  calling  us  old;  not  so  much  because  of 
the  fact  that  we  are  old,  as  because  of  the  sur- 
prise to  us  who  had  not  thought  of  it.  When  the 
heart  is  young,  we  do  not  realize  how  plainly  the 
marks  of  age  are  seen  by  others.  But  what  does 


CHEER  FOR  THE  AGED 

it  matter  whether  we  are  old  or  young,  if  we  are 
walking  in  the  light  of  Christ's  favor,  in  the  bright 
and  shining  light  of  his  countenance  to  whom  a 
thousand  years  are  as  one  day !  Blessed  hour 
when  the  summons  comes  to  leave  this  world. 
Blessed,  blessed  hour!  God  grant  that  you,  my 
friend,  and  I,  and  all  of  us  may  bravely  and  trust- 
fully take  the  last  step  away  from  the  sin  and 
pain  and  weariness  of  this  world  into  the  fullness 
of  the  glory  awaiting  every  one  who  is  redeemed 
by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 

It  is  true  that  it  is  not  altogether  pleasant  to 
be  old  and  past  usefulness,  to  be  set  in  the  chim- 
ney-corner, or  tucked  away  in  a  room  by  our- 
selves, while  others  perform  the  duties  which  were 
once  our  delight;  but,  dear  heart,  we  are  never 
past  usefulness.  By  your  patience  and  sweetness 
you  may  still  do  good.  By  your  firm  and  un- 
wavering trust  in  God  you  may  lead  others  to 
trust  in  him.  By  your  kindly  spoken  words  you 
may  influence  others  to  speak  kindly.  To  the 
last  breath  you  may  be  useful,  and  put  hands  of 
love  and  helpfulness  underneath  some  weak  or 
erring  one,  and  lift  him  into  the  strength  of  God. 
Just  to  sit  quietly  in  your  chair  with  a  smile  for 
every  one  is  much,  very  much  to  do  for  God  and 
good. 

So  long  as  life  lasts,  an  influence  is  going  out 
from  us  for  good  or  evil;  and  even  after  we  are 
dead,  the  peaceful  calm  upon  our  faces  may  speak 
to  the  living  of  a  saintly  life  and  a  triumphant 


122   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

death;  and  the  good  or  evil  we  have  done  will 
surely  live  after  us,  bearing  fruit  in  ever  increas- 
ing measure. 

It  is  said  that  the  young  look  forward,  and 
the  old  look  backward.  In  the  years  that  are 
gone  there  has  been  an  intermingling  of  the  bit- 
ter and  the  sweet.  Many  remembrances  bring 
tears  to  the  eyes  and  pain  to  the  heart ;  but  there 
is  reason  for  rejoicing  while  reviewing  the  bright 
side ;  the  good  deeds ;  the  life  of  daily  self-abnega- 
tion for  those  we  loved;  the  innumerable  chari- 
ties of  words  or  deeds ;  the  home  where  love 
reigned ;  the  life  of  the  Crucified  One,  which  is,  in 
some  measure  at  least,  the  life  of  all  who  love  him. 

Remember  that  the  hoary  head  is  a  crown  of 
glory,  if  it  be  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness. 
A  crown  of  glory!  How  much  more  precious  in 
the  sight  of  God  and  the  angels  than  the  priceless 
diadems  of  Kings  and  Queens  !  Oh,  how  blessed ! 
As  we  approach  nearer,  ever  nearer  to  the  rest 
that  remaineth  to  the  people  of  God,  we  may  wear 
a  crown  of  glory! 

Blessed  saints  who  are  thus  glorified  and  await- 
ing the  divine  call,  "Come  up  hither!"  Blessed 
saints,  all  your  sins  washed  away,  clad  in  Christ's 
righteousness,  peace  be  unto  you !  May  the  gates 
of  heaven  open  wide  for  you,  and  hosts  of  angels 
and  beloved  ones  greet  you  with  loud  hosannas  to 
the  Lamb  that  was  slain  that  you  might  be  re- 
deemed, and  wear  a  crown  of  glory  throughout 
the  eternal  ages ! 


XVIII 
FAR  FROM  HOME 

Far,  far  away  from  home,  out  in  the  bitter 
cold  and  storms  of  life  are  you  who  never  tell  the 
story  of  the  birth  of  Bethlehem's  Holy  Child  to 
your  own  babes.  The  Christmas  bells  and  Easter 
chimes  fall  on  your  ears  with  no  response  of  joy 
within  your  heart.  You  heed  no  story  of  the  Son 
of  God  Incarnate,  The  Wonderful,  The  Counselor, 
The  Prince  of  Peace.  The  light  of  all  the  world 
shines  not  for  you. 

Out  in  the  bitter  cold,  you  do  not  know  the 
warmth  within  the  palace  of  the  Everlasting  King. 
You  never  at  the  banquet  rare  within  his  courts 
have  sat  as  guest.  You,  in  the  bitter  storm  of 
life,  are  buffeted  and  tossed  about  without  a 
guide,  and  you  will,  soon  or  late,  be  dashed  upon 
the  hidden  rocks,  and  wounded,  bruised,  cry  out 
in  vain  to  all  the  false  lights  set  along  the  shore. 
In  vain  you'll  shout  aloud  to  all  the  phantoms  and 
delusions  you  have  followed  from  your  youth  till 
now. 

You're  very  far  from  home,  for  you  reject  the 
Holy  One  and  love  him  not.  Sharp  thorns  you 
pluck  to  pierce  anew  his  brow  aglow  with  love, 
with  heavenly  patience  and  with  grace  most  rare. 

Ofttimes    you're    sick    and    faint    at   heart,    and 
123 


HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

weary  of  the  long  and  toilsome  way.  You  gladly 
would  give  up  the  useless  strife,  the  reaching  after 
something  just  beyond  in  vain,  or  if  obtained,  too 
late  for  help  or  comfort;  for  the  house  you've 
built,  the  fame  you've  gained,  the  gold,  all  lose 
their  fancied  worth  when  once  they're  yours. 
E'en  love  is  bitter-sweet,  not  always  kind,  and 
all  your  joys  are  followed  fast  by  dreary  shadows 
which  appall  the  heart. 

A  light  shines  from  the  windows  of  a  palace 
warm  and  bright,  wherein  Love  sits  and  waits  for 
you  to  come,  calling  in  tender  tones,  "Come  home, 
thou  tempest-tossed  and  weary  one,  come  home!" 
Will  you  not  run  to  him,  with  feet  made  fleet  by 
love,  and  look  into  his  face,  and  sit  beside  him  as 
his  guest,  and  learn  to  walk  with  him  through  all 
the  thorny  path  that  leads  to  heaven?  And 
walking  thus  with  him,  your  face  will  shine  with 
love,  and  round  your  head  a  halo  bright  will  rest, 
and  bright  and  brighter  grow  unto  that  perfect 
day  when  you  shall  see  him  on  the  heavenly 
throne,  the  King  of  kings. 

Within  your  hand  you  hold  a  rose  of  beauty 
rare  and  fragrance  sweet.  God  gave  minutest 
care  to  this  fair  flower,  which  blooms  perhaps  but 
once  a  year,  and  lives  but  a  few  days.  You  love, 
admire,  caress  as  if  it  were  a  thing  of  life  this 
rose  so  heavenly  beautiful.  Of  beauty  marvelous 
are  all  the  flowers  with  which  the  earth  is  bright- 
ened everywhere,  in  forests  wild,  on  mountain 
height,  in  lonely  glen, — the  smiles  of  Nature, 
showing  gladness  in  her  own  sweet  life.  God 


FAR  FROM  HOME  125 

cares  for  all  these  lovely  flowers,  and  clothes  them 
all  in  garments  far  more  beautiful  than  those  of 
Solomon,  arrayed  in  kingly  robes.  Will  he  not 
care  for  you  much  more  than  for  all  these? 

Even  Nature's  precious  things  are  torn  and 
rent  and  beaten  to  the  earth  by  storms,  and  pass 
away  as  do  our  joys.  Nothing  endures.  The 
earth  itself  will  pass  away ;  and  creatures  born 
again  into  the  image  of  the  Living  God,  into  the 
beauty  of  our  King,  we  shall  forget  our  troubles 
here,  our  tears,  in  all  the  holy  beauty  of  the  Land 
of  Love.  'Tis  only  for  a  few  short  years  that 
beauty  and  deformity,  that  sunshine,  shadow, 
sweet  and  bitter,  fierce  and  raging  storms  must 
fill  our  days;  then  storm  and  shadow,  bitterness, 
deformity,  will  pass  away,  and  sunshine,  sweet- 
ness, beauty  rare  will  take  their  place,  and  we 
shall  dwell  forever  in  the  presence  of  our  King. 
Then,  and  then  alone,  we'll  know  the  reason  for 
the  buffeting  and  tossing  to  and  fro  here  on  the 
earth,  and  why  the  paths  our  Heavenly  Father 
leads  us  in  are  often  just  the  opposite  we  fain 
would  choose  ourselves. 

If  you  could  know  just  what  it  is  to  live  for- 
evermore!  If  you  could  only  realize  that  this 
short  life  is  only  a  beginning  of  eternity!  Still 
in  your  infancy,  you  need  the  cradle  of  Christ's 
love  in  which  to  rock  yourself  to  quietness  and 
peace.  You  only  know  the  alphabet,  and  stam- 
mer in  your  speech,  and  sigh,  and  cry,  and  long 
for  rest  and  home  I  Beyond  this  life  what  heights 
of  knowledge  we  shall  reach,  what  wondrous  Ian- 


126   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

guage  we  shall  speak,  and  sigh  and  cry  no  more, 
but  rest  in  peace  in  our  loved  home.  Then  we 
shall  see  our  Jesus  face  to  face,  and  walk  and  talk 
with  him  through  all  the  eternal  years. 

You  cannot  feel  the  Savior's  love  surrounding 
you?  You  cannot  think  he  died  for  you?  Why 
did  he  leave  his  Father's  home  on  high  to  work  and 
suffer,  to  be  scorned  and  beaten,  spit  upon  and 
cursed,  at  last  to  die  a  cruel  death  upon  the  cross, 
if  love  to  you,  to  me,  to  all  the  human  race  did 
not  his  heart  to  pity  move,  and  make  him  wish 
to  lift  us  up  to  his  high  heaven  to  dwell  with  him 
through  all  eternity?  Can  you  reject  the  offer 
of  such  love  from  him,  the  Highest  One?  Will 
you  still  stay  away  from  home  and  love  divine? 
Oh,  be  not  so  unwise!  Answer  his  loving  call, 
"Come  unto  me!"  And  go  to  him,  and  falling  at 
his  feet  let  his  dear  hands  upon  you  rest  in  bless- 
ing and  forgiveness  too ;  and  he  will  bid  you  rise, 
and  call  you  his  beloved,  and  he  will  care  for  you 
through  all  the  years  of  this  sad  life,  and 
through  all  other  life  beyond  this  world.  Sin- 
stained,  and  sick,  and  blind  though  you  may  be, 
stay  not  away.  He  came  to  call  the  sinners,  not 
the  righteous  ones,  to  follow  him.  He  will  for- 
give and  heal  you,  make  you  see,  and  he  will  wash 
you  in  his  blood  and  make  you  pure,  and  you  will 
wear  his  white  robes  and  be  glad. 

Come,  weary  ones,  come  home,  come  home! 
Come  one  and  all  and  drink  of  life  the  waters  pure 
and  free,  for  all  who  will  may  come! 


XIX 

THE  GOOD  FIGHT 

Life  is  a  continual  fight.  Even  the  little  child 
must  be  taught  to  fight  selfishness,  covetousness, 
untruthfulness,  quick  temper,  and  all  other  sins 
in  the  unregenerate  heart.  Evil  sits  over  against 
the  good  in  our  lives,  and  there  must  be  strife 
for  the  mastery.  Outside  ourselves,  the  battle- 
field is  broad,  the  enemy  powerful,  and  we  may 
well  shrink  from  an  encounter.  We  may  love 
peace,  and  hate  strife,  but  we  cannot  refuse  to 
enter  the  lists  when  challenged,  without  dishonor. 
Indeed,  there  can  be  no  refusal,  for  the  invisible 
power  which  controls  our  destiny,  compels  us  to 
take  up  the  gauntlet,  or  yield  ourselves  van- 
quished. We  must,  at  least,  defend  ourselves 
against  our  enemies  who  are  aggressive  and 
powerful,  and  ever  on  the  watch  to  gain  a  victory 
over  us. 

Our  most  troublesome  foes  are  those  that  try 
to  gain  entrance  into  our  hearts ;  and  we  need  to 
set  a  watch,  day  and  night,  on  the  outposts  of  our 
citadel,  lest  they  creep  in  while  we  are  inattentive, 
or  while  we  are  sleeping.  Evil  is  on  every  hand, 
and  we  must  either  overcome  it,  or  be  overcome  by 

it;  and  no  victory  is  final  unless  good  follows  so 

127 


128   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

closely  in  the  steps  of  the  retreating  evil,  that  the 
evil  cannot  retrace  its  steps.  Where  good  is,  evil 
cannot  abide.  Where  God  reigns  supreme,  the 
devil  (the  do-evil)  flees  away. 

We  are  created  not  for  our  own  ease  and  pleas- 
ure, but  for  strife,  for  resistance,  for  aggressive 
warfare  against  all  forms  of  evil ;  and  in  the  home, 
in  society,  on  the  street,  or  on  the  Ex- 
change, our  touch  may  be  like  the  Divine  One, 
casting  out  evil  and  substituting  good  <by  loving 
helpfulness,  if  only  by  a  word,  a  look,  a  smile,  or 
a  warning. 

If  we  make  self  the  center  around  which  all 
things  circle,  if  we  take  and  never  give,  if  we  shut 
our  eyes  to  the  progress  of  evil  and  make  no  ad- 
vance into  the  enemy's  territory,  if  we  do  not  try 
to  overcome  the  evil  by  tongue  or  pen,  or  by 
active  personal  effort,  what  excuse  can  we  make 
for  neglected  opportunities?  Shown  by  the 
search-light  cast  upon  it  from  God's  throne,  how 
will  such  a  life  appear? 

The  power  of  the  Almighty  God  is  the  only 
power  of  avail  in  the  hand-to-hand  combat  with 
evil.  His  armor  is  the  only  protection  against 
the  darts  of  the  enemy.  Then  put  on  the  girdle 
of  truth,  the  breastplate  of  righteousness,  the 
sandals  of  peace,  the  helmet  of  salvation,  the 
sword  of  the  Spirit — the  whole  armor  of  God. 
Thus  protected,  you  will  go  forth  to  battle,  and 
return  in  triumph  to  lay  your  laurels  at  the  feet 
of  Jesus,  your  great  Captain,  through  whose 


THE  GOOD  FIGHT  129 

strength  and  in  whose  name  you  have  overcome. 
Then  will  he  clothe  you  in  white  raiment,  and  he 
will  feed  you  with  hidden  manna,  and  with  fruit 
from  the  tree  of  life.  He  will  give  you  power 
over  nations,  and  make  of  you  a  pillar  in  his 
Father's  temple.  Then  God  will  be  your  God, 
and  you  will  be  his  son  and  inherit  all  things ! 
Wonderful  to  contemplate,  and  how  much  more 
wonderful  to  realize!  Thus  is  evil  in  our  hearts 
overcome  by  good,  by  the  entering  in  of  right- 
eousness and  peace ! 

There  are  those  who  say  that  evil  exists  only 
in  the  imagination;  that  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  sin  or  disease,  and  that  even  death  itself  may 
be  overcome  by  a  mental  process !  How  delight- 
ful it  would  be  to  overcome  all  the  ills  to  which 
flesh  and  spirit  are  heirs,  by  elevated  thoughts ! 
If  we  could  only  believe  that  we  are  well  when 
we  are  sick,  that  we  have  no  pain  when  we  are 
suffering  tortures,  that  the  thing  in  our  hearts 
which  men  and  God  call  sin  is  not  there  after  all, 
we  could  take  off  our  armor,  and  sit  down  in 
peace  and  quietness.  To  most,  the  pain  and  sin 
are  too  real  to  admit  of  such  hallucinations,  and 
we  must  deal  with  hard  facts. 

God  does  not  ignore  or  condone  evil.  While 
he  loves  the  sinner,  he  hates  sin,  and  cannot  look 
upon  it  with  the  least  degree  of  allowance.  He  is 
on  the  side  of  right.  He  will  not  keep  his  anger 
forever.  Retribution  marches  close  upon  the 
steps  of  the  evildoer.  "And  behold,  at  eventide 


130   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

trouble,  and  before  the  morning  he  is  not.  This 
is  the  portion  of  them  that  spoil  us,  and  the  lot 
of  them  that  rob  us."  Could  you  look  into  the 
mysteries  and  behold  the  secret  embassies  sent 
from  the  high  heavens  to  aid  you,  with  what 
strength  and  courage  you  would  go  to  the  very 
front  of  the  battle !  In  the  old  times,  the  victory 
was  not  to  the  strong,  nor  to  the  greater  num- 
bers, but  to  those  who  trusted  in  Jehovah  while 
obeying  his  commands. 

In  combating  vice,  something  good  must  drive 
out  the  evil.  Find  a  tender  spot  in  the  heart  of 
the  bad  man,  or  the  bad  woman;  the  hidden,  ob- 
scured, apparently  extinguished  spark  of  good- 
ness. Fan  it  into  life  by  kindness,  by  genuine 
interest,  by  the  pitying  love  like  that  which  Jesus 
bestows  upon  even  the  chief  of  sinners.  Forget 
your  clean  hands  and  unsoiled  garments,  and  fear 
not  to  touch  the  unclean  with  tender  pity  and 
brotherly  love.  Fear  not.  Your  Lord  has 
walked  in  the  same  path.  Follow  him.  Through 
his  life  of  suffering  and  good  deeds,  through  his 
patient  forgiveness  and  uplifting  of  the  chief  of 
sinners,  into  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  even  unto 
death,  let  us  follow,  follow,  whither  he  leads ! 
Here  the  cross,  but  there  the  crown!  Here  the 
fierce  combat,  there  the  victory,  with  joy  un- 
speakable and  full  of  glory ! 

In  reviewing  our  lives  we  remember  many  bat- 
tles, some  with  joy,  and  others  with  sorrow  un- 
speakable. When  we  were  victorious,  we  had 


THE  GOOD  FIGHT  131 

reason  for  rejoicing;  when  we  were  defeated,  what 
but  humiliation  and  remorse  could  follow  our  de- 
feat? 

One  evening  a  man  was  invited  by  a  friend  to 
go  to  a  prayer-meeting,  and  by  another  to  go  to 
a  gambling  house.  After  a  few  qualms  of  con- 
science, he  chose  the  latter.  He  won  hundreds  of 
dollars  from  his  opponent,  who  had  staked  his  all. 
Conscience  said  to  him,  "Give  it  back!  Give  it 
back !  It  is  not  yours.  You  have  given  nothing 
in  return  for  it.  You  have  not  earned  it  legiti- 
mately. Give  it  back!"  The  devil  whispered, 
"Keep  it!  Keep  it!  You  won  it  honestly.  By 
the  rules  of  the  game,  it  is  yours.  Keep  it!" 
The  man  made  but  a  weak  fight,  and  the  devil 
won!  The  loss  of  all  he  had  drove  his  opponent 
to  the  drink,  and  sent  him  headlong  to  destruc- 
tion. Oh,  what  remorse  in  reviewing  such  a  bat- 
tle-field. 

Another  man,  in  reviewing  his  life,  may  say,  "On 
that  battle-field  I  had  a  hard  fight  with  the  jug. 
I  filled  it  with  the  choicest  liquor,  carried  it  out 
into  the  field  back  of  my  house,  and  set  it  upon  a 
rock.  Then  I  said  to  it,  'You  or  I  must  conquer, 
once  for  all !'  I  was  almost  maddened  with  thirst 
for  the  accursed  thing,  and  I  ran  to  it  again  and 
again,  and  caught  it  to  my  breast  as  a  loved 
friend.  Then  I  took  out  the  cork  and  smelled  it ; 
then  put  it  down,  crying  out  in  agony,  'Oh,  God ! 
Now,  or  never!'  I  threw  myself  on  the  ground, 
and,  in  my  desperation,  tore  up  the  earth  with  my 


1SS   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

hands.  Then  I  prayed  as  never  before,  'Help, 
Lord!  Help,  Lord!  Oh,  Lord,  do  help,  I  beseech 
thee !  Just  this  once,  come  to  me,  Lord !  Do 
come!'  And  he  came,  glory  be  to  his  name,  and 
put  his  arms  around  me,  and  lifted  me  from  the 
ground,  and  together,  hand  in  hand,  and  step  with 
step,  we  went  to  the  old  jug,  and  lifting  it, 
smashed  it  on  the  rock,  shouting  'Victory!  Vic- 
tory !'  while  we  watched  the  vile  stuff,  the  accursed 
stuff,  flow  around  our  feet.  Then  I  kneeled  and 
gave  myself,  soul  and  body,  to  the  Lord.  He  put 
his  hands  upon  my  head  and  blessed  me ;  then  tak- 
ing my  hands  in  his,  he  lifted  me  and  pressed  me 
to  his  great  heart  of  love.  So  the  compact  was 
sealed ;  and  never  once  since  that  hour  have  I  had 
any  desire  for  intoxicating  drinks,  or  for  any 
other  evil  thing."  This  was  a  famous  victory, 
won  by  the  Captain  of  our  Salvation,  who  ever 
stands  ready  to  help  all  who  call  upon  him  in 
their  weakness, and  distress.  In  the  story  of  this 
man,  tempted  beyond  what  he  was  able  to  bear 
alone,  we  have  the  story  of  many  a  poor  drunk- 
ard who  has  been  saved  at  the  Savior's  feet. 

Another  man  was  tempted,  through  envy  or 
jealousy,  to  steal  a  good  name.  The  devil  said, 
"Do  it!  Do  it!  That  man  thinks  too  much  of 
himself.  He  is  so  pious  !  Lower  his  self-respect ! 
Take  down  his  pride!  Smirch  his  good  name! 
Set  the  ball  rolling,  and  fifty  others  will  give  it 
a  kick,  to  keep  it  rolling  with  ever  increasing  im- 
petus, and  when  it  strikes  him,  where  will  be  your 


THE  GOOD  FIGHT  133 

fine  Christian  and  highly  esteemed  citizen?"  The 
still  small  voice  said,  "Do  it  not!  He  is  a  good 
man."  But  envy  and  jealousy  are  the  devil's 
allies.  "Get  thou  behind  me,  Satan,"  if  said  at 
all,  it  was  in  so  feeble  a  voice  that  Satan  pre- 
tended not  to  hear,  and  an  innocent  man  was 
ruined ;  his  good  name  was  stolen.  This  thief  sold 
himself  more  and  more  to  the  devil,  until  "Lost, 
lost,  forever  lost !"  were  his  last  words  before 
stepping  out  into  the  great  unknown !  "De- 
feated, defeated  with  a  loss  great  and  terrible, 
even  the  loss  of  the  soul  itself — "  must  be  written 
on  his  battlefield! 

"In  1875,  Mr.  Moody  was  preaching  in  St.  Louis, 
and  the  Globe-Democrat  was  reporting  his  sermons. 
Valentine  Burke  had  served  twenty  years  or  more  in 
prison,  and  was  a  hard  case  to  deal  with.  One  day 
some  one  threw  a  Globe-Democrat  into  his  cell,  and 
the  first  thing  that  caught  his  eye  was  this  big  head- 
line: 'How  the  Jailer  at  Philippi  Got  Caught.'  It 
was  just  what  Burke  wanted,  and  he  sat  down  with  a 
chuckle  to  read  the  story  of  the  jailer's  discomfiture. 

"  Thilippi,'  he  said;  'that's  way  up  in  Illinois. 
I've  been  in  that  town/  Then  he  began  to  read. 
'What  rot  is  this?'  he  asked.  "Taul  and  Silas — A 
great  earthquake;  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  Has 
the  Globe-Democrat  got  to  printing  such  stuff?' 
Burke  threw  it  down  with  an  oath,  and  walked 
about  his  cell  like  a  caged  lion.  By  and  by  he  took 
up  the  paper  and  read  its  strange  story.  It  was  then 
that  something,  from  whence  he  did  not  know,  came 


134   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAP 

into  the  burglar's  heart,  and  cut  it  to  the  quick. 
Again  and  again,  he  read  the  sermon  through.  'What 
does  it  all  mean?'  he  began  asking.  'Twenty  years 
and  more  I  have  been  burglar  and  jailbird,  but  I 
never  felt  like  this.  What  is  it  to  be  saved,  anyway? 
I've  lived  a  dog's  life,  and  I'm  getting  tired  of  it.  If 
there  is  such  a  God  as  that  preacher  tells  about,  I 
believe  I'll  find  it  out,  if  it  kills  me  to  do  it.' 

"He  found  it  out,  by  the  grace  of  God.  Away 
towards  midnight,  after  hours  of  bitter  remorse  over 
his  wasted  life,  after  a  hard  fight  with  the  devil,  and 
lonely  and  broken  prayers,  he  learned  that  there  is 
a  God  who  is  able  and  willing  to  blot  out  the  darkest 
and  bloodiest  record  at  a  single  stroke.  Then  he 
waited  for  day,  laughing  and  crying  by  turns.  Next 
morning,  when  the  guard  came  around,  Burke  had  a 
pleasant  word  for  him.  When  the  sheriff  came, 
Burke  greeted  him  as  a  friend,  and  told  him  how  he 
had  found  God  after  reading  Moody's  sermon. 

"  'Jim,'  said  the  sheriff  to  the  guard,  'you  better 
keep  an  eye  on  Burke.  He's  playing  the  pious  dodge, 
and  the  first  chance  he  gets  he'll  be  out  of  here/  In 
a  few  weeks  Burke  came  to  trial,  but  in  this  instance 
the  case  failed,  and  he  was  released.  Friendless,  an 
ex-burglar  in  a  big  city,  known  as  a  daring  criminal, 
he  had  a  hard  time  for  months  of  shame  and  sorrow. 
But  he  was  as  brave  a  Christian  as  he  had  been  a 
burglar,  and  he  struggled  on.  Seeing  that  his  sin- 
blurred  features  were  against  him,  he  asked  the  Lord 
if  he  wouldn't  make  him  a  better  looking  man,  so 
that  he  could  get  an  honest  job. 

"A  year  from  that  time  Mr.  Moody  met  him  in 
Chicago,  and  said  he  was  as  fine  looking  a  man  as 


THE  GOOD  FIGHT  135 

he  knew.  Afterward  the  St.  Louis  sheriff  made  him 
his  deputy,  and  several  years  later,  when  Mr.  Moody 
was  passing  through  that  city,  he  stopped  off  for  an 
hour  to  see  Burke.  He  found  him  in  a  room  in  the 
court-house,  serving  as  trusted  guard  over  $60,000 
worth  of  diamonds. 

"  'Mr.  Moody,'  he  said,  'see  what  the  grace  of  God 
can  do  for  a  burglar !  Look  at  this !  The  sheriff 
picked  me  out  of  his  force  to  guard  it!'  Then  he 
cried  like  a  child,  as  he  held  up  the  glittering  gems 
for  Mr.  Moody  to  see. 

"Many  were  converted  through  Burke,  and  when  he 
died  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  good  and  the  bad  at- 
tended his  funeral  in  great  numbers;  and  the  big 
men  of  the  city  could  not  say  enough  over  the  coffin 
of  Valentine  Burke." 

He  had  fought  a  great  and  good  fight,  and  had 
laid  hold  on  eternal  life.  Not  all  battles  are  of 
the  same  nature  as  that  of  the  gambler,  the 
drunkard,  the  slanderer,  or  the  burglar;  but  all 
are  of  great  importance,  and  victory  should  crown 
each  one.  There  is  the  hand-to-hand  fight  with 
poverty,  with  misfortune,  with  affliction,  with 
things  too  numerous  to  mention.  In  all  battles, 
be  they  great  or  small,  we  may  be  more  than  con- 
querors through  him  that  loved  us  and  gave  him- 
self for  us. 

It  is  great  and  glorious  to  fight  for  our  coun- 
try, to  protect  our  flag,  to  keep  inviolate  the  lib- 
erty for  which  our  forefathers  suffered  and  died. 
It  is  braver  and  far  more  glorious  to  be  a  soldier 


136   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

in  the  army  of  the  Lord,  to  follow  our  Great  Cap- 
tain through  fire  and  through  flood,  holding  on 
high  the  banner  of  the  cross  dyed  with  his  heart's 
blood.  In  his  army  are  men,  women  and  children. 
None  is  too  old  for  service  in  this  army;  none  is 
too  young,  and  no  one  is  exempt.  The  young 
and  the  old,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  learned 
and  the  ignorant,  the  hale  and  hearty,  the  sick 
and  feeble,  the  halt,  the  lame  and  the  blind  may 
enter  this  army.  Once  within  its  ranks,  once 
loyal  soldiers  of  the  cross,  what  a  transformation 
takes  place!  The  old  become  young,  the  poor 
become  rich,  the  weak  are  made  strong;  the  halt 
and  the  lame  leap  for  joy,  the  lepers  are  cleansed, 
and  in  a  goodly  company  with  songs  and  shouts 
of  victory  they  march  on  together,  to  lend  a  hand, 
to  right  wrongs,  to  uplift  the  fallen,  to  give  a  cup 
of  cold  water,  to  tell  the  old,  old  story,  to  lay  hold 
on  eternal  life. 

Where  are  you  fighting,  my  friend  ?  In  Satan's 
army,  or  in  the  army  of  the  Lord?  If  you  are 
in  the  army  of  Satan,  right  about  face  and  join 
the  army  of  the  Lord!  Then  forward  march  to 
victory !  "You  may  step  in  anywhere,  for  there's 
fighting  all  along  the  line."  Are  you  one  of  the 
feeble  ones  and  afraid?  Then  flee  to  the  Lord 
who  will  hide  you  away  from  your  enemies,  in 
his  secret  place.  But  be  not  afraid!  In  his 
name  and  in  his  strength  we  may  go  on  from  vic- 
tory to  victory  until  the  last  enemy  is  conquered, 
and  we  kneel  at  his  feet  to  receive  our  crown! 


THE  GOOD  FIGHT  137 

Then  no  more  awful  struggles  with  temptation  and 
sin,  no  more  defeats,  but  glory  and  blessedness  be- 
yond the  heart  of  man  to  conceive,  forever,  and 
ever,  and  ever ! 


XX 

WOMAN'S  HIGH  ESTATE 

Far  away  in  the  Adirondacks  a  spring  bubbles 
out  of  the  ground,  forming  a  clear  pool  in  which 
may  be  seen  the  reflection  of  the  trees  and  the 
ferns  nodding  to  it  cheerily.  It  catches  the 
glints  of  sunshine  streaming  through  the  foliage, 
and  a  sight  of  the  blue  sky  and  fleecy  clouds  which 
it  mirrors  in  its  clear  surface,  a  bit  of  heaven  em- 
bracing the  earth.  Out  from  this  pool  flows  a 
brook  which  goes  rapidly  over  rocks  and  steeps, 
here  and  there  joined  by  other  mountain  brooks, 
and  fed  by  winter  snows,  until  it  becomes  a  large 
stream.  Winding  between  mountains,  through 
peaceful  valleys,  by  highland  and  lowland,  by 
huge  palisades  hewn  out  by  nature's  quarryman, 
a  broad,  beautiful  river,  at  last,  it  reaches  the 
sea. 

Like  the  spring,  the  brook,  the  river,  is  woman's 
influence.  It  begins  in  a  gentle  way,  in  the  home, 
in  the  heart  of  a  child,  in  the  life  of  a  man,  and 
it  goes  on  widening,  like  the  river  to  the  sea. 
Through  this  influence,  in  a  greater  or  less  de- 
gree, she  moves  the  arms  which  move  the  world. 
Of  her,  statesmen  and  kings  are  born;  by  her 

heroes   are  reared,  and  nations  founded.     When 

138 


WOMAN'S  HIGH  ESTATE  139 

her  voice  is  lifted,  the  nations  listen.  When  her 
hand  is  extended,  all  good  works  prosper.  Suf- 
fering is  relieved,  and  death  averted,  by  her  wise 
and  soothing  ministrations.  The  sick  soldier 
turns  his  weary  head  to  watch  her,  and  calls  her 
"Mother!"  The  little  child  clings  to  her  gown, 
and  follows  her  in  perfect,  loving  confidence. 
About  two  thousand  years  ago,  a  woman  was  the 
mother  of  our  Lord.  He  chose  to  be  the  son  of 
Mary,  at  the  same  time  that  he  was  the  Son  of 
God,  and  so  hallowed  maternity  through  all  time. 

Often  woman's  influence  is  like  the  silent  dew, 
or  the  gently  falling  rain,  or  the  subtle  fragrance 
of  the  rose;  but  sometimes  like  the  rushing  wind 
which  carries  everything  before  it.  Give  her  all 
the  opportunity  she  desires,  and  step  by  step,  fol- 
lowing the  lead  of  the  Divine  Master,  she  will  be- 
come one  of  the  strongest  powers  the  world  has 
ever  known.  She  is  brave  and  energetic,  and  the 
very  embodiment  of  that  love  which  gives  the  life 
for  the  friend. 

Life  for  the  friend 
Is  what  her  love  is  giving  every  day; 
True  love,  the  love  which  measured  cannot  be. 
If  work  be  hard,  love,  love  can  do  it;  love 
Can  bear  it ;  love  is  kind !     Love  will  make  fleet 
Her  hands  to  work,  her  feet  to  run  the  race; 
For  love  endureth  all  things,  love  is  strong! 
What  will  not  woman  do  or  dare  for  love? 

It   is   this   attribute   of  love  in  the   heart  of 


140   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

woman  which  will  accomplish  great  thing's. 
First,  love  to  God,  then  love  in  the  home,  then 
love  to  all  humanity,  especially  to  her  own  sex. 
What  may  not  woman  do  when  she  is  in  earnest, 
and  walking  in  his  steps  who  died  that  all  might 
live?  "Who  delighted  to  do  God's  will;  who  did 
not  exclude  pleasure,  or  delight  in  pain,  but  who 
did  not  think  about  pleasing  himself  at  all."  Like 
him,  a  true  woman  forgets  self  in  her  home,  for- 
gets self  in  society,  in  the  church,  and  in  all  the 
work  to  which  she  has  been  called. 

Are  all  women  living  in  this  manner?  Alas! 
by  no  means !  We  need  but  to  read  of  the  doings 
of  "society"  in  the  daily  papers  to  learn  that 
there  are  many  women  who  waste  their  time  and 
strength  in  absolute  folly.  Whole  pages  with  il- 
lustrations are  given  to  "Society's  Rag  Doll 
Time !"  and  similar  foolishness  of  men  and  women 
of  wealth  and  social  position  in  their  ridiculous 
efforts  to  pass  away  time.  I  quote  from  a  New 
York  paper. 

"All  Newport  was  convulsed  by  the  highly  original 
conceit  of  several  society  leaders  carrying  a  stuffed 
baby  down  Bellevue  Avenue,  and  disporting  with  it 
on  Bailey's  Beach.  It  was  conceded  that  nothing  so 
brilliant,  so  unutterably  funny  had  occurred  in  many 
moons.  Men  and  women  of  wealth,  and  place,  and 
power,  gathered  about  the  rag  baby,  and  caressed  it. 
It  was  the  one  touch  of  nature  that  spoke  to  all 
hearts.  They  were  simply,  kindly,  genuinely  happy. 
They  were  as  little  children," 


WOMAN'S  HIGH  ESTATE  141 

I  forbear  to  mention  the  names  of  these  men 
and  women  who  would  not  be  seen  carrying  real 
babies,  for  the  world,  but  who  would  pet  a  rag 
doll,  and  be  "genuinely  happy!" 

The  true  woman  sits  not  down  with  hands 
folded,  wondering  what  she  shall  do  to  pass  away 
the  time.  She  is  up  and  doing.  She  does  not 
think  of  what  she  may  do  to  please  herself,  but 
of  what  she  may  do  to  please  others.  She  does 
not  avoid  the  responsibilities  of  wifehood  and 
motherhood  to  play  with  rag  dolls,  but  regards 
herself  as  exalted  to  the  highest  honor  and  priv- 
ilege in  being  permitted  to  fulfill  these  respon- 
sibilities. She  acknowledges  no  social  superiority 
but  that  of  character.  She  says  of  herself,  "I 
am  what  I  am,  and  not  a  creature  of  circum- 
stance. If  I,  in  myself,  am  worthy  of  respect  and 
honor,  no  added  thing  which  is  not  myself  can 
make  me  more  worthy,  and  nothing  can  be  taken 
away  from  me  but  outward  appurtenances,  which 
are  entirely  outside  of  my  real  self.  My  face, 
my  manners,  my  voice,  will  be  the  expression  of 
my  inner  life,  and  I  must  keep  myself  high,  and 
pure,  and  noble,  for  no  one  can  be  near  me  with- 
out receiving  a  part  of  what  I  am.  I  am  no 
longer  my  own.  The  seal  of  the  covenant  is  set 
upon  my  heart.  I  am  strong  in  Christ.  I  fear 
not  to  undertake  difficult  things.  With  the  ban- 
ner of  love  unfolded  to  the  breeze,  I  am  marching 
on  to  victory!" 

For  what  was   woman  made?     To   follow  her 


HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

own  way,  for  ease,  for  selfishness,  to  pass  away 
the  time  with  as  little  ennui  as  possible,  for  idle- 
ness, for  pleasure,  for  freedom  from  every  ill  and 
unpleasantness?  Ah,  no!  For  love;  for  tender- 
ness ;  for  helpfulness.  To  do  with  all  her  might, 
whatever  of  good  her  hand  finds  to  do.  To  bear 
and  endure  sweetly  and  patiently  the  inevitable 
ills  of  life.  To  be  a  strong  tower  in  time  of 
need  upon  which  father,  brother,  husband,  sons 
and  daughters  may  lean.  To  be  the  strong  arm 
which  helps  to  wield  the  power  which  moves  the 
world  towards  righteousness  and  truth. 

What  will  you  do?  What  will  you  contribute, 
not  only  to  the  good  of  your  immediate  home 
circle,  and  of  those  with  whom  you  come  in  fre- 
quent contact,  but  to  the  honest  and  honorable 
life  of  your  city,  your  town,  your  State,  your  Na- 
tion? Rise  up  in  the  strength  and  grace  with 
which  God  has  endowed  you,  and  do  your  part. 
Renounce  all  foolish,  senseless  living.  Take  up 
your  nearest  duty,  as  your  nearest  privilege,  and 
make  the  earth  glad,  and  the  heavens  rejoice  that 
God  created  so  wonderful  and  beautiful  a  being 
as  woman ! 

However  beautiful  and  wonderful  she  may  be, 
woman's  work  must  be  done;  sewing  and  mend- 
ing, sweeping  and  dusting;  food  must  be  cooked, 
dishes  washed,  and  floors  scrubbed.  There  is 
no  end  to  the  work  she  must  perform  in  her 
own  home,  or  in  the  service  of  others;  and  out- 
side the  home,  behind  the  counter,  in  the  office,  so 


WOMAN'S  HIGH  ESTATE  143 

much  to  be  done,  so  many  livings  to  earn,  such  a 
struggle  to  exist!  Work,  work,  endless  work, 
often  with  small  remuneration,  little  satisfaction. 

Many  women  look  no  higher  than  their  work. 
They  have  no  dissatisfaction  with  their  lot,  no  as- 
piration for  anything  better.  They  are  work-a- 
day  women,  and  are  content  to  do  the  same  thing 
day  after  day,  to  the  end  of  time.  There  are 
others  to  whom  this  daily  toil  is  irksome.  They 
perform  it  because  they  must.  They  would 
gladly  escape  from  it  if  they  could. 

Let  us  try  to  look  at  this  subject  from  a  stand- 
point outside  ourselves.  Let  us  try  to  see 
clearly,  without  prejudice  just  what  it  all  means. 
The  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  master,  and 
we  are  not  greater  than  our  Lord.  Surely,  if 
any  one  should  have  been  exempt  from  the  care 
and  work  of  this  world,  it  should  have  been  our 
Lord.  If  for  any  one  a  life  adapted  to  his  natu- 
ral aspirations  and  capabilities,  there  should  have 
been  for  him  a  life  of  glory  and  honor.  But  by 
his  own  experience  he  knows  how  tired  and  dis- 
couraged workers  often  are;  that  their  burdens 
seem  too  great  to  bear ;  that  work  and  pain  often 
go  together ;  and  so  with  outstretched  arms  which1 
were  frequently  tired,  from  his  great  heart  of  love 
which  often  ached,  he  stands  and  cries  in  tones 
that  will  not  cease  to  be  heard  throughout  the 
ages,  "Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are 
heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest !"  He  gives 
us  rest  while  we  work,  by  his  presence,  by  the 


144   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

touch  of  his  hand,  by  his  imparted  strength  and 
patience,  by  the  light  of  love  from  his  glorified 
countenance,  by  his  own  promised  peace.  "Peace 
I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  I  give  unto  you !" 

Thus  helped  by  our  Lord,  we  may  give  to  the 
work  in  hand  our  best  efforts,  doing  it  so  pa- 
tiently and  so  well  that  others  may  be  helped  by 
our  example.  We  may  perform  our  tasks  as  our 
Lord  in  our  place  would  perform  them,  with  no 
anxiety,  for  does  he  not  walk  with  us  all  the  way? 
With  no  dissatisfaction,  for  we  are  doing  the  will 
of  the  Omnipotent,  and  what  matter,  if  the  work 
be  not  to  our  mind?  No  work  is  menial  done  in 
love's  name.  Pride  says  the  contrary.  Our 
neighbors  look  down  upon  us  if  we  work  and  they 
do  not;  and  it  often  happens  that  we  do  not  ask 
what  our  Lord  thinks  of  such  and  such  things, 
but  what  our  neighbors  think! 

We  are  bought  with  a  price,  even  the  blood  of 
Jesus ;  therefore  must  we  serve  him  as  those  who 
serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple;  not  as 
slaves  compelled  to  obey,  but  with  loving  and  will- 
ing service;  for  are  we  not  his  dear  children? 
Are  we  not  heirs  to  a  wonderful  inheritance  which 
can  never  fade  away? 

Never  complain  if  you  have  no  heavy  load  of 
care,  no  distracting  anxiety,  no  breaking  heart. 
To  be  obliged  to  work,  well,  what  of  it?  Sing 
and  shout  for  joy  that  you  are  able  to  work; 
that  no  sick  bed  holds  you,  that  no  darkened  room 
shuts  you  in  from  the  light  of  the  sun  and  the 


WOMAN'S  HIGH  ESTATE  145 

starry  heavens !  God  wants  no  foolish  complain- 
ing going  up  to  his  throne.  He  loves  a  happy 
worker. 

Do  not  be  afraid  of  the  kitchen.  There  is  no 
sensible  man  who  will  not  be  happier  and  more 
comfortable  to  have  his  wife  attend  to  everything, 
even  though  she  may  be  able  to  keep  servants; 
and  if  she  sometimes  make  the  bread  and  the 
coffee,  it  is  all  the  sweeter  to  him.  A  natural 
woman  likes  to  be  efficient,  industrious  and  do- 
mestic. She  does  not  allow  her  neighbors  to  dic- 
tate as  to  what  she  may  do  or  not  do  in  her  own 
home,  and  still  retain  her  womanly  dignity.  The 
false  idea  that  a  woman  cannot  do  any  kind  of 
work,  not  even  in  her  own  home,  without  lowering 
herself  to  the  position  of  a  menial,  causes  much 
discomfort  and  unhappiness.  Away  with  such 
nonsense !  Be  true  women !  Keep  your  muscles 
strong,  and  your  minds  sound,  through  much  use- 
ful exercise,  that  you  may  be  prepared  for  help- 
fulness in  the  time  of  great  need,  which  may  come 
at  any  hour. 

If  you  do  train  Bridget,  and  Susan  and  John 
so  perfectly  that  everything  goes  like  clock-work 
without  even  your  supervision,  the  time  may  come 
when  you  will  be  for  days  without  John,  or 
Bridget  or  Susan ;  and  unless  you  have  the  tact 
and  the  knowledge  necessary  to  help  fill  the  gap, 
the  whole  household  will  be  thrown  into  confusion ; 
housekeeping  will  be  declared  unendurable;  the 
remaining  servants  will  be  overworked,  and  ill- 


146   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

humored,  and  things  go  on  badly,  because  you 
think  it  would  be  a  disgrace  to  be  seen  with  broom 
or  duster  in  hand  even  in  your  own  household! 
A  woman  cannot  be  strong  without  exercise.  She 
cannot  be  graceful  and  attractive  without 
strength.  Why  not  combine  the  useful  and  the 
beautiful  in  your  life,  as  do  the  works  of  nature? 
Cannot  you  fulfill  your  God-given  mission  as  per- 
fectly as  an  inanimate  tree?  Work  is  not  in- 
compatible with  the  highest  refinement.  You 
may  grow  in  loveliness  and  intelligence,  and  at 
the  same  time  make  yourself  indispensable  to  your 
household  by  actual  service. 

How  much  more  honorable  to  spend  your  life 
in  putting  forth  effort  to  some  good  purpose  than 
to  idly  fold  your  hands  to  enjoy  comforts  pro- 
vided by  the  hard  work  of  some  one  else.  Be  ef- 
ficient and  helpful.  Learn  how  to  adjust  things 
when  they  are  out  of  joint,  and  how  to  cover  and 
smooth  over  things  which  will  go  wrong  some- 
times, notwithstanding  all  your  care.  Make  light 
of  annoyances  and  mishaps,  and  never  lose  your 
self-control.  It  is  a  grand  thing  to  be  a  noble 
woman.  You  cannot  be  noble  without  being  sym- 
metrically developed.  Put  forth  your  powers  in 
every  direction,  to  that  end.  You  do  not  know 
what  influence  you  may  have  in  your  home  and 
outside  your  home  by  the  purity  and  dignity  of 
your  life,  and  the  quiet  leading  of  true  love.  If 
you  do  your  own  work  in  the  home,  unless  you 
use  great  care,  your  hands  and  nails  are  spoiled ; 


WOMAN'S  HIGH  ESTATE  147 

but  your  heart  is  not  spoiled,  neither  does  it  lose 
one  particle  of  its  beauty.  You  need  not  degen- 
erate into  a  lifeless  drudge.  You  may  keep 
young  and  strong  and  loving,  and  make  of  your 
home  a  heaven  on  this  dull  earth,  so  desolate  but 
for  woman's  love  and  self-sacrifice. 

"That's  what  a  wife  is  for,"  to  cook  his  meat, 
To  sweep  the  house,  to  bruise  the  knuckles,  soil 
The  hands  with  work,  "those  pretty  little  hands 
That  ne'er  should  bear  the  marks  of  homely  toil !" 
It  is  not  that  he  does  not  care  for  her 
As  when  at  first  he  held  her  hand  in  his 
And  said  those  foolish  words !     It  is  because 
He  did  not  know  or  think  what  need  might  be 
Of  having  wife  for  helpmate,  not  for  show, 
To  sit  with  folded  hands  and  dream  of  love, 
To  sing,  to  dance,  to  have  her  own  sweet  will 
Through  all  the  day.     He  half  is  right  and  half 
Is  wrong,  when  to  her  mild  complaint  replies 
"That's  what  a  wife  is  for !"     If  willingly 
She  worketh  with  her  hands  in  wool  and  flax, 
As  good  wives  did  in  days  of  Solomon, 
If  nearest  duty,  whatsoe'er  it  be, 
Be  nearest  pleasure  too,  if  her  sweet  love 
Be  strong  and  sensible  as  well  as  sweet, 
If  no  false  pride  control  her  daily  life, 
She,  too,  may  say  without  too  much  regret, 
"That's  what  a  wife  is  for,  to  cook  his  meat, 
To  sweep  and  dust,  and  make  all  clean  and  neat, 
To  smile,  and  kiss  away  his  weariness, 
To  keep  the  children  quiet  for  his  sake, 
To  live  and  love,  and  love  and  live,  each  day, 


148   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

A  woman's  life  of  sacrifice  and  pain, 
Upheld  by  love  which  likest  is  to  God, 
Transformed  into  the  likeness  of  his  Son 
By  work  and  sacrifice,  by  love  and  pain !" 


XXI 

TIRED  MOTHERS 

It  is  a  great  joy  and  honor  to  be  a  mother. 
None  knows  the  wonderful,  heavenly  ecstasy 
which  enters  her  heart  when  her  babe  is  placed  in 
her  bosom,  nor  the  depth  of  the  love  and  tender- 
ness awakened  at  the  birth  of  every  child,  but  the 
mother.  It  is  an  experience  which  she  cannot  af- 
ford to  miss,  that  of  bearing  and  rearing  chil- 
dren. Even  when  death  comes  to  take  away  the 
most  beautiful  one,  that  too  opens  a  path  in  which 
it  is  good  to  walk,  though  it  be  in  anguish  of 
spirit ;  for  it  is  better  to  have  children  and  lose 
them  than  not  to  have  them  at  all.  The  disci- 
pline is  refining,  and  to  have  children  in  heaven 
a  never-ending  joy.  But  they  bring  with  them 
toil  and  trouble,  anxious  days  and  sleepless 
nights,  and  great  trials  of  patience  and  physical 
endurance.  They  throw  chains  around  you 
which  it  is  impossible  to  break.  You  are  no 
longer  free.  Your  time  is  not  your  own.  It  be- 
longs to  them.  From  the  first  moment  when 
their  strange  little  voices  are  heard,  they  are 
tyrants,  and  you  are  a  slave.  How  to  bear  the 
fetters  lightly  so  that  they  will  not  oppress  you,  is 
a  lesson  well  worth  learning;  for  when  the  family 
149 


150   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

increases  rapidly,  and  there  are  two  or  three 
hardly  past  babyhood,  how  tired  the  mothers  are. 
How  often  they  feel  disheartened,  and  hardly 
know  which  way  to  turn  with  the  multiplicity  of 
cares  devolving  upon  them.  This  is  the  situa- 
tion of  every  true  mother,  no  matter  how  many 
nurses  and  servants  she  may  have;  and  how  is  it 
when  there  are  no  nurses  and  no  servants? 
Tired  mothers  indeed.  The  world  must  be  full 
of  them. 

There  is  no  end  to  the  buttons  to  be  sewed  on, 
the  stockings  to  be  darned,  the  rents  to  be 
mended.  There  is  sweeping  and  cleaning,  a  life- 
long battle  with  dust,  cobwebs  and  flies.  It  re- 
quires a  great  effort  to  decently  exist;  to  keep 
your  home,  your  children  and  yourself  in  order. 
The  three  meals  follow  each  other  in  quick  succes- 
sion, then  it  is  soon  bedtime,  and  each  succeeding 
day  is  like  1;he  others.  How  many  women  there 
are  into  whose  lives  come  little  but  this  weary 
round  of  wearisome  duties,  with  no  time  to  enjoy 
the  house  in  order,  or  the  clean  children,  or  a 
quiet  evening. 

It  may  be,  in  part,  your  own  fault  if  life  be- 
comes to  you  thus  full  of  care  and  labor.  You 
may  be  inefficient,  or  too  neat,  or  too  great  a  care- 
taker. But  often  it  seems  inevitable.  Is  it  pos- 
sible, then,  for  you  to  be  anything  but  a  living 
automaton?  How  can  you  avoid  it?  How  can 
you  rise  above  circumstances  which  require  your 
whole  strength  of  mind  and  body  to  compass  ? 


TIRED  MOTHERS  151 

In  the  first  place,  do  not  overtax  yourself.  It 
is  better  to  leave  some  things  undone  than  to  get 
so  weary  that  a  night  of  sound  sleep  will  not  re- 
fresh you.  Do  not  allow  yourself  to  be  tied  up 
with  cobwebs  and  buried  with  dust  beyond  resur- 
rection. If  the  house  be  not  always  in  perfect 
order,  no  one  need  be  distressed  about  it.  If 
your  children  are  not  always  clean  and  tidy,  it 
will  not  hinder  their  growing  up  to  be  good.  Do 
the  best  you  can  toward  the  accomplishment  of 
your  daily  duties,  and  when  you  have  used  the 
strength  given  you  for  the  day,  stop.  You  have 
done  all  that  is  required  of  you,  and  more,  for  a 
little  strength  and  brightness  should  be  reserved 
for  the  evening  hours  when  your  husband  and 
children  have  leisure  to  enjoy  your  presence  and 
helpful  sympathy. 

Do  not  try  to  conceal  from  your  husband  that 
you  have  genuine  work  to  do  each  day.  Hus- 
bands know  little  of  household  matters,  although 
they  are  apt  to  think  that  they  know  all  about 
them.  Do  not  hesitate  to  initiate  him  into  their 
mysteries.  It  will  make  him  more  helpful  and 
sympathetic  to  know  your  exact  position  and 
your  difficulties,  and  he  will  be  more  ready  to  ex- 
cuse some  things  which  you  are  unable  to  do  even 
to  your  own  satisfaction. 

Try  to  find  something  to  interest  and  occupy 
your  mind  while  your  hands  are  busy.  If  you 
live  in  the  country,  in  summer  take  all  the  work 
you  can  to  the  piazza,  or  under  a  tree,  and  let 


152   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

the  baby  play  about  you.  He  will  be  less  trouble 
out  of  doors,  and  the  sunshine  and  fresh  air  will 
be  of  inestimable  benefit  to  you  both.  There  is 
a  fine  view  near  your  house.  Enjoy  it  for  ten 
minutes  each  day.  You  will  work  the  faster  for 
the  pleasant  interruption.  While  you  are  busy 
with  indoor  work,  the  sun  comes  streaming  into 
your  room  making  beautiful  pictures  of  shim- 
mering leaves  and  drooping  vines  upon  the  walls. 
And  this  is  God's  message  to  you,  "Cheer  up!" 
How  bright  it  is.  What  a  beautiful  message  of 
love  it  is  to  you  from  God!  Will  you  heed  it, 
and  work  for  the  rest  of  the  day  with  more  hope, 
with  lighter  heart  and  brighter  face?  The  little 
birds  work  and  sing.  Have  you  not  a  song  in 
your  heart  also,  and  does  it  not  sometimes  break 
forth  into  words?  Sing  while  you  work.  It  will 
make  the  work  lighter. 

Open  your  eyes  to  the  beauty  around  you.  If 
you  live  near  the  woods,  enjoy  them.  Even  the 
sight  of  them  is  refreshing,  and  an  occasional 
ramble  in  them  will  teach  you  how  Nature  every- 
where is  struggling  to  assert  herself  and  do  her 
utmost  to  utilize  every  particle  of  dust,  every 
drop  of  dew  and  every  stray  sunbeam  to  make 
herself  useful  and  beautiful.  Even  the  hard  and 
barren  rocks  are  covered  with  mosses  and  lichens 
which  you  will  find  to  be  wonderful  miniature 
forests,  if  you  look  at  them  through  a  micro- 
scope. 

Are  there  mountains  near  your  home?     Then, 


TIRED  MOTHERS  153 

indeed,  you  are  fortunate,  for  nothing  in  nature 
can  be  more  restful  or  joy-giving  than  the  sight 
of  mountains  standing  strong  and  silent  against 
the  sky,  with  sunset  glory  gilding  them,  or  clouds1 
kissing  their  brows,  catching  the  first  greeting 
of  the  morning  sun,  or  made  entrancing  by  the 
soft  light  of  the  moon.  They  have  mysterious 
caverns  and  recesses  where  the  shadows  always  lie, 
and  ravines  through  which  the  mountain  streams 
roar  and  tumble  in  beauty  unseen.  They  are 
made  green  and  beautiful  by  spring's  soft  color, 
or  clothed  in  the  splendor  of  autumn's  gold  and 
vermilion,  or  majestic  with  the  snow-covered 
pines  and  bare-branched  trees  covered  with  ice 
and  sparkling  in  the  sunshine. 

If  you  live  near  a  river  or  the  ocean,  you  have 
a  constant  variety  of  scenery,  for  neither  moun- 
tains, rivers  nor  oceans  are  less  variable  in  their 
moods  than  we  are,  and  even  in  dull,  cheerless  days 
you  may  see  in  them  that  which  you  may  ad- 
mire, and  in  which  you  may  find  sympathy.  If 
you  are  denied  social  pleasures,  you  may  find  much 
compensation  in  being  surrounded  by  the  pure, 
unselfish  works  of  Nature,  which  give  much  and 
exact  little,  and  which  never  disappoint  you. 
Though  you  may  have  none  of  these  things,  there 
are  other  resources  for  rest  and  pleasure  at  your 
command.  Look  carefully  into  your  life  and  sur- 
roundings and  see  if  there  be  not  some  source  of 
joy  and  gratitude  which  you  have  hitherto  over- 
looked. The  source  of  the  spring  is  not  always 


154   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

apparent,  and  we  may  regard  as  only  a  common 
watercourse  or  a  pool  of  muddy  water  that  which, 
after  the  debris  and  dirt  are  cleared  away,  may 
prove  to  be  a  never-failing  supply  of  pure  water ; 
and  there  are  some  springs  which  lie  deep  under 
the  surface.  There  are  many  springs  of  comfort 
in  your  life,  if  you  will  find  them. 

You  ought  not  to  be  so  tired.  God  does  not 
intend  that  each  day's  burden  should  be  heavier 
than  you  can  easily  bear.  He  gives  help  and 
strength  for  each  day's  needs.  You  can  be  happy 
to-day,  can  you  not?  Or  if  this  is  one  of  the 
dark  days,  you  can  be  patient  and  brave?  Well, 
that  is  enough.  To-morrow  will  bring  its  own 
strength  and  resources.  You  need  not  now  take 
up  to-morrow.  God  does  not  work  miracles  in 
our  behalf,  but  he  has  arranged  everything  so 
that  much  help  and  comfort  will  come  to  us  every 
day  in  easy,  natural  ways ;  and  it  is  wrong  for  us 
not  to  accept  what  he  gives  and  turn  it  to  best 
account.  Trees,  flowers,  grass,  birds,  sunshine,, 
bright  clouds  and  the  wonderful  blue  sky  ought  to 
be  to  us  a  continual  delight;  the  love  of  husband 
and  children  a  never-failing  source  of  joy  and 
gratitude ;  the  Bible  a  city  of  refuge. 

There  is  a  bright  side  to  everything,  no  matter 
how  dark  the  other  side  may  be.  We  are  never 
so  badly  off  but  that  we  might  be  worse  off. 
Somebody  looks  upon  us  as  fortunate.  Much  un- 
happiness  comes  from  envying  those  whom  we  con- 
sider in  better  circumstances  than  ourselves,  and 


TIRED  MOTHERS  155 

trying  to  reach  their  standard.  How  senseless, 
when  none  is  so  high  but  that  somebody  is  higher, 
until  you  reach  the  highest,  who  are  seldom 
happy.  Be  content.  God  rules.  He  can  place 
you  higher  if  he  choose.  Look  upon  your  position 
and  all  that  you  have  as  God-given,  and  do  not 
overlook  any  of  his  gifts,  nor  dishonor  him  by 
believing  that  he  has  bestowed  upon  you 
the  thorns,  and  upon  some  one  else  the  roses. 
Sweet  and  bitter,  roses  and  thorns  for  all,  God- 
given  ! 

In  many  instances  when  the  care  of  your  own 
family  becomes  a  hardship,  it  is  self-imposed. 
You  are  in  the  dull  routine  because  you  do  not  try 
to  get  out  of  it.  You  are  overworked  because 
you  improve  no  opportunity  to  play.  You  are 
nervous  because  you  shut  yourself  up  too  much  in 
the  house,  keep  your  rooms  too  warm  and  poorly 
ventilated.  You  wait  on  your  children  when  they 
should  be  early  taught  to  help  you  and  each  other. 
You  fret  too  much  if  Johnny's  clothes  are  torn 
or  soiled,  or  if  he  shows  no  love  for  cleanliness, 
and  you  are  forced  to  urge  him  to  wash  his  hands, 
and  face,  and  brush  his  hair.  You  allow  many 
trivial  things  to  annoy  you,  when  nothing  less 
than  an  earthquake  or  an  avalanche  should  move 
a  mother.  What  if  the  baby  does  fall  off  the 
bed  and  bump  his  head?  Babies  are  always  bump- 
ing their  heads.  What  if  Charlie  tell  a  false- 
hood? It  is  by  no  means  a  sure  sign  that  he  will 
grow  up  a  liar.  Children  are  not  born  perfect, 


156   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

and  there  is  no  end  to  their  little  mishaps  and 
childish  failings. 

Mothers  would  be  less  tired  if  they  were  more 
sensible.  Think  of  the  time  worse  than  wasted 
in  the  preparation  of  food  without  which  every 
member  of  the  family  would  be  better ;  of  the  un- 
necessary time  spent  upon  the  children's  clothes 
in  making  tucks  and  frills  and  a  hundred  and  one 
other  needless  things ;  of  the  many  hours  spent 
for  mere  show,  or  to  do  as  others  do,  which  add  to 
no  one's  happiness  or  comfort.  No  matter  if  you 
do  differently  from  every  one  else  in  the  world,  if 
you  do  right  and  make  your  home  a  true  home. 
Live  for  comfort,  and  the  good  you  can  do. 
Dress  your  children  plainly,  that  you  and  they 
need  not  be  fretted  about  their  clothes.  Furnish 
your  house  simply  and  comfortably,  and  have 
nothing  that  you  must  shut  up  in  a  dark  room. 

There  are  mothers  who  are  tired  because  they 
have  no  clothing  to  mend,  no  stockings  to  darn, 
and  who  would  give  worlds  for  just  such  a  pile 
of  mending  as  that  to  which  you  sit  down  with  a 
feeling  of  discontent ;  for  disorder  in  the  house, 
for  the  tracks  of  muddy  shoes  on  the  floor,  or 
prints  of  little  fingers  on  the  window-pane. 
Think  of  this,  and  imagine  if  you  can  what  your 
life  would  be  if  you  had  none  of  these  things;  if 
the  patience-trying  little  ones  were  all  silent  for- 
ever, and  there  were  no  noise  in  the  house;  and 
put  love  and  cheerfulness  into  all  you  do  for 
them;  thus  will  the  dullest  work  receive  a  bright- 


TIRED  MOTHERS  157 

ness.     Thus  will  the  mother-love  shed  a  halo  of 
light  around  the  homeliest  duties. 

Be  careful  not  to  become  tired  with  imaginary 
troubles,  lest  God  say  of  you,  "There  is  my  dear 
child  to  whom  I  have  given  many  blessings.  She 
does  not  appreciate  them.  She  is  continually 
clamoring  for  more,  continually  dissatisfied,  and 
will  not  enjoy  her  husband,  her  children,  her 
health,  her  lovely  home.  She  has  no  real  troubles, 
but  she  thinks  her  lot,  which  thousands  might 
well  envy,  a  hard  one,  and  is  ungrateful  and  self- 
ish. I  cannot  allow  this.  She  is  not  making 
ready  for  heaven.  Her  soul  is  not  growing,  but 
is  becoming  dwarfed  instead.  She  is  blind,  and 
nothing  will  open  her  eyes  but  real  trouble.  Much 
as  it  grieves  me  to  do  it,  I  must  take  away  some 
thing  which  she  already  has,  instead  of  giving 
her  more." 

Oh,  cannot  you  open  your  eyes  to  see  what  God 
is  doing  for  you  without  chastisement  being  need- 
ful? Cannot  you  be  gratefully  happy  and  rest 
in  his  love?  Oh,  mothers,  cannot  you  feel  his1 
love  surrounding  you,  smoothing  your  path,  ward- 
ing off  dangers,  giving  you  peace  and  quiet  in 
your  daily  pursuits?  Cannot  you  see  the  great 
glory  of  God  in  everything  around  you?  The 
trees  whisper  it,  the  winds  carry  the  message  on 
swift  wings,  the  sun  mirrors  it  and  sends  it  in  one 
great  flash  of  light  and  splendor  all  over  the 
earth.  The  boundless  blue  sky  in  silence  glorifies 
him;  and  will  you  not  glorify  him  by  your  life? 


158   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

Are  you  so  tired  and  so  much  absorbed  in  sordid 
cares  that  you  cannot  teach  your  sons  and  daugh- 
ters to  avoid  the  selfishness,  the  worldliness,  the 
wickedness  everywhere  to  be  seen  in  the  outside 
world?  Do  you  so  shut  out  all  the  beauty  and 
all  the  glory  from  your  life  that  the  lessons  they 
learn  from  you  are  only  unblessed  work  and  un- 
hallowed care?  Open  the  windows  of  your  soul 
and  let  in  the  glory  of  earth  and  sky ;  let  in  God's 
love,  and  God's  strength.  Then  there  will  be  a 
soft,  glad  light  reflected  from  you  on  all  the 
household,  and  joy  and  beauty  will  go  hand  in 
hand  with  work  and  care,  and  God  will  be  glorified 
even  in  the  most  uninteresting  bits  of  labor,  and 
you  will  be  weary  only  to  rest  again,  to  rest  in 
him  who  toiled  patiently  and  sweetly  to  do  his 
Father's  will. 

If  there  be  days  when  it  seems  impossible  to  ac- 
complish anything,  when  physical  energy  is  want- 
ing, and  you  weary  yourself  with  vain  efforts  to 
overcome  your  inefficiency,  be  quiet  and  patient 
with  yourself,  as  you  would  be  with  the  lame  or 
blind,  and  do  not  try  to  do  so  much  as  on  other 
days  whon  the  nerves  are  strong  and  the  head 
clear.  Do  not  make  life  too  weighty  a  matter, 
or  drag  your  feet  in  the  mire  when  you  should 
be  walking  lightly  and  cheerfully  in  the  sunshine 
of  God's  love. 

It  is  true  that  the  cares  of  life  often  rise  up 
like  a  cloud  between  us  and  God ;  but  he  is  on  one 
side  of  it,  and  we  know  he  is  there,  and  we  are  on 


TIRED  MOTHERS  159 

the  other  side,  and  he  knows  it,  and  there  is  but  a 
thin,  shadowy  cloud  between  us  which  will  be 
wholly  dissipated  by  a  few  tears,  or  scattered  to 
the  four  corners  of  the  heavens  by  a  single  breath 
of  God.  And  if  we  are  not  always  in  a  religious 
mood,  or  in  what  is  considered  the  active  service 
of  God,  we  need  not  grieve  because  our  lives  seem 
to  have  no  high  purpose.  Who  serves  him  more 
truly  than  a  faithful  mother,  whether  it  be  in 
tying  baby's  shoes  patiently  twenty  times  a  day, 
or  in  teaching  him  "Our  Father,"  on  his  knees 
with  clasped  hands  by  her  side? 

God  places  a  higher  value  upon  the  little  acts 
of  every  day  than  we  do.  Everything  done  to 
make  the  home  neat  and  cheerful  is  precious  in 
his  sight;  and  we  are  serving  him  as  truly  in 
performing  the  work  he  daily  gives  us,  as  when  we 
sing  his  praise  or  teach  in  his  name,  or  pray  on 
bended  knee.  All  day  long  there  may  be  going 
up  to  him  the  sweet  incense  of  patient  well-doing, 
and  we  may  have,  with  all  our  cares,  the  spirit 
of  love  and  praise. 

If  we  could  realize  the  sacredness  and  magni- 
tude of  our  work,  if  the  wonderful  mother  love 
could  be  always  uppermost  in  our  hearts,  how  it 
would  lift  us  above  our  petty,  wearing  cares. 
How  it  would  increase  our  tenderness  and  pa- 
tience. If  we  could  see  in  these  troublesome,  ex- 
acting boys  and  girls,  angels  of  to-morrow,  or 
next  day,  or  next  month,  perhaps,  with  what 
sweetness  and  tender  yearning  would  reproofs 


160   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

be  given ;  for  many  who  are  our  troublesome  chil- 
dren to-day,  ere  another  year  rolls  round  will  be 
our  angel  boys  and  girls  in  heaven. 

Do  not  let  tHe  hurry  and  worry  of  life  drive 
Christ  out  of  your  heart.  Let  him  into  the 
privacy  of  home.  There  is  where  he  is  most 
needed.  There  is  where  he  likes  best  to  be,  close 
by  us,  to  comfort  and  to  bless  us,  and  to  lift  from 
us  our  burdens.  He  was  often  tired,  so  tired ! 
The  whole  world  is  tired;  but  there  will  come  a 
long  day  of  rest.  Happy  will  it  be  for  us  then 
if  we  are  tired  to  some  good  purpose.  "Come 
unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest."  Here  as  well  as  in 
heaven,  will  he  fulfill  this  promise.  Precious  rest 
in  the  bosom  of  Jesus,  precious,  indeed,  the  rest 
which  comes  to  mind  and  body  after  work  well 
done  to  his  honor  and  glory,  one  smile  of  whom 
is  worth  more  than  the  approbation  of  the  whole 
world. 

Then,  we  who  are  mothers  need  not  be  dis- 
couraged. The  King  of  Heaven  is  on  our  side. 
However  poor  we  may  be,  however  humble  our 
lot,  we  are  queens,  and  home  is  our  domain.  God- 
wishes  us  to  serve  him  just  where  we  are.  The 
ways  of  serving  him  are  as  varied  as  the  varied 
lives  of  thousands.  We  cannot  all  be  missionaries. 
We  cannot  all  be  regular  attendants  at  church, 
at  the  prayer-meeting,  or  at  the  benevolent  so- 
ciety. The  world  may  judge  us  by  our  outward 
religious  life,  by  the  frequency  with  which  we  are 


TIRED  MOTHERS  161 

seen  in  these  places,  but  God  looks  at  the  heart, 
at  the  mind  that  is  in  us,  at  the  patient,  untiring 
love  which  makes  sweet  the  home  life. 

Would  we  be  so  tired  could  we  realize  that 
when  we  cheerfully  and  lovingly  perform  our  al- 
lotted tasks  we  are  pleasing  God?  And  if  we  are 
pleasing  him,  what  higher  life  can  there  be  on 
earth?  To  please  the  Omnipotent  One,  how  won- 
derful the  privilege!  To  be  in  harmony  with  his 
will  each  day,  how  delightful!  No  doubt  we  shall 
realize  this  blessedness  fully  in  heaven,  but  can- 
not we  realize  it  here  on  the  earth?  Without 
doubt  we  can  appropriate  to  ourselves  all  the  gra- 
cious promises  of  our  God  much  more  than  we 
now  do;  and  instead  of  living  so  much  in  the 
valley,  we  may  live  upon  the  mountain  of  our  high 
privilege,  in  the  very  presence  of  God  himself. 
Thousands  of  hungry,  care-burdened  and  sin-bur- 
dened ones  are  crying  out  with  great  longings 
and  tears,  and  reaching  out  after  God.  To  all 
these  waiting  and  weary  ones  the  answer  sweetly 
comes  from  millions  of  angelic  voices  around  the 
heavenly  throne  joining  with  the  Lamb  in  crying, 

"Whosoever  will  let  him  come!" 

f 

"A  little  elbow  leans  upon  your  knee, 
Your  tired  knee  that  has  so  much  to  bear, 
A  child's  dear  eyes  are  looking  lovingly 
From  underneath  a  thatch  of  tangled  hair. 
Perhaps  you  do  not  heed  the  velvet  touch 
Of  warm,  moist  fingers  folding  yours  so  tight, 


162   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

You  do  not  prize  the  blessing  overmuch, 
You  are  almost  too  tired  to  pray  to-night. 

"But  it  is  blessedness !     A  year  ago 
I  did  not  see  it  as  I  do  to-day, 
We  are  so  dull  and  thankless,  and  too  slow 
To  catch  the  sunshine,  till  it  slips  away: 
And  now  it  seems  surpassing  strange  to  me 
That,  while  I  wore  the  badge  of  motherhood, 
I  did  not  kiss  more  oft  and  tenderly, 
The  little  child  that  brought  me  only  good. 

"And  if,  some  night  when  you  sit  down  to  rest, 
You  miss  the  elbow  from  your  tired  knee, 
The  restless,  curly  head  from  off  your  breast, 
The  lisping  tongue  that  chattered  constantly, 
If,  from  your  own,  the  dimpled  hands  had  slipped, 
And  ne'er  would  nestle  in  your  palm  again, 
If  the  white  feet  into  the  grave  had  tripped, 
I  could  not  blame  you  for  your  heart-ache  then. 

"I  wonder  so,  that  mothers  ever  fret 
At  little  children  clinging  to  their  gown ; 
Or  that  the  footprints,  when  the  days  are  wet, 
Are  ever  black  enough  to  make  them  frown. 
If  I  could  find  a  little,  muddy  boot, 
Or  cap,  or  jacket,  on  my  chamber  floor, 
If  I  could  kiss  a  rosy,  restless  foot, 
And  hear  its  patter  in  my  home  once  more — 

"If  I  could  mend  a  broken  cart  to-day, 
To-morrow  make  a  kite  to  reach  the  sky, 
There  is  no  woman  in  God's  world  could  say 
She  was  more  blissfully  content  than  I. 


TIRED  MOTHERS  163 

But  O !  the  dainty  pillow  next  my  own 
Is  never  rumpled  by  a  shining  head, 
My  singing  birdling  from  its  nest  is  flown, 
The  little  boy  I  used  to  kiss  is  dead !" 


XXII 
DEAR   BABY   RALPH 

Love-crowned,  the  royalty  of  motherhood 

I  bear.     My  scepter  may  I  gently  wield 

With    love    and    patience    toward    our    first-born 

child. 
From  out  the  heaven  where  souls   are  born  has 

come 
This  precious  gift  from  God. 

Of  all  the  babes 

Which  ever  came  to  bless  an  earthly  home, 
This  babe  most  lovely  is !     No  other  one 
Can  ere  with  him  compare.     The  light  of  heaven 
No  purer,  brighter  is,  than  that  which  shines 
Within  his  lovely  eyes !     No  angel's  smile 
Can    be    more    heavenly    sweet    than    this    dear 
child's ! 

I  wonder  if  the  mother  of  our  Lord 
Was  ever  weary,  caring  for  her  babe! 
Or  was  she  filled  with  rapture  by  the  thought 
That  to  the  Savior  of  the  world  she  gave 
Her  tender  care,  her  mother-love,  her  life? 
So  filled  with  joy  by  this  great  mystery, 
And  by  the  unique  honor  thus  bestowed 

164 


DEAR  BABY  RALPH  165 

On  her,  above  all  women,  that  the  cares 
Of  motherhood  were  lifted  from  her  heart? 
A  man  of  sorrows,  if  she  knew  she  nursed, 
Acquainted  with  sore  grief,  how  sorrowful 
She  was !     If  of  the  sword  which  was  to  pierce 
Her  heart,  what  dreadful  anguish  tortured  her! 
But  if  she  looked  beyond  the  heavy  cross 
Of  Calvary  to  all  the  joy  and  peace 
That,    through   long   ages,   to   the   world   would 

come 

Through  life  and  death  of  her  dear  Son,  her  love 
And  joy  were  wonderful,  as  in  her  heart 
She  kept  and  pondered  all  those  wondrous  things. 

This  glorious  October  day,  the  sun 

Is  shining,  warm  and  bright.     The  trees  in  all 

The  glory  of  Autumnal  hues ;  the  sky 

Is  clear  and  blue,  with  here  and  there  a  cloud 

So  beautiful,  ethereal,  and  yet 

So  real,  withal,  it  seems  as  if  upon 

It  we  might  float,  to  all  the  things  of  earth 

Indifferent,  if  we  could  climb  so  high. 

The  glorious  river  calmly  flows,  but  grand, 

While  doing  its  appointed  work  the  same 

As  when  the  ponderous  blows  by  Nature  dealt 

Hewed  out  its  path  through  mountains,  walls  of 

rock, 

Unto  the  distant  sea.     The  little  brook, 
Its  source  in  mountain  side  far  to  the  north, 
Comes  tumbling  over  rocks,  in  noisy  way, 
Not  knowing  that  it  helps  to  carry  ships 


166   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

Across  the  ocean;  yet  in  solitude, 

In  quiet  calmness,  rippling  on  it  flows, 

In  beauty,  as  God  wills,  from  year  to  year. 

Beholding  all  this  beauty,  breathing  in 
Fresh  inspiration,  renewed  joy  and  strength, 
May  not  a  quiet  little  mother  take 
Fresh  courage?     Like  the  brook  on  gladly  go 
While  singing  her  sweet  songs,  unconsciously 
Fulfilling  all  that  God  would  have  her  do? 
May  not  this  mother,  like  the  falling  leaves, 
Most  cheerful  be,  with  brightest  face  when  days 
All   cheerless   threaten,   and  when   winter   storms 
Are  not  far  off? 

How  cheerfully  the  leaves 
Go   to   their  death!     Dressed   in   their   gorgeous 

hues 

They  seem  to  try  to  gladden  us  before 
They  fall  to  mingle  with  the  silent  dust. 
It  is  a  glad  farewell !     They  have  performed 
Their  mission,  and  they  are  content  to  die. 
Just  what  our  Lord  intended  leaves  to  do, 
They  well  have  done. 

A  perfect  day,  indeed! 

What  glory  in  the  sunshine,  grass,  and  trees ! 
The  hills  and  valleys  sing  and  shout  for  joy!' 
I  too  may  sing  his  praise  who  made  this  day 
So  beautiful  and  bright.     I  praise  thy  name 
Creator  of  the  earth,  and  sea  and  sky; 
In  adoration  bow  before  my  Lord! 


DEAR  BABY  RALPH  167 

This  little  boy  who  sits  upon  my  knee 
I  love  most  tenderly.     His  dimpled  hands 
And  feet,  his  lovely  eyes  that  shine  like  stars, 
The  sweetest  mouth  that  ever  lisped  sweet  words 
Are  far  more  dear  to  me  than  tongue  can  tell! 
Dear  Jesus,  bear  him  gently  in  thine  arms 
Till  he  shall  grow  to  serve  both  God  and  man ; 
For  service  is  our  destined  lot  on  earth ; 
And  if  we  serve  in  love,  and  not  in  fear, 
Our  deepest,  purest  joy  is  still  to  serve. 

Oh,  Baby  Ralph!     Those  hands  will  pluck  sweet 

flowers 

To  find,  one  day,  the  hidden  thorns  that  pierce ; 
Those  little  feet  will  run  to  find  the  gold 
Just  where  the  rainbow  kisses  the  green  field ; 
The   dancing  will-o'-wisp   will   charm   your  eyes ; 
But  over  you,  around  you  evermore, 
Your  mother's  love  will  like  an  angel  move, 
And  God's  love  will  surround  and  cover  you, 
As  with  a  fiery  cloud. 

His  playthings  are  all  put  away ;  there  are 
No  scraps  of  paper  littering  now  the  floor; 
His  darling  mice,  he  called  these  little  scraps. 
The  nursery  is  neat  and  orderly, 
And  will  remain  so,  all  the  livelong  day. 
There  is  a  loneliness  about  the  house, 
As  if  our  dearest  one  had  gone  away. 
There  is  no  longer  noise  of  busy  feet, 
No  joyous,  boyish  play.     The  sunlight  has 


168   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

Gone  out;  throughout  our  home  a  shadow  of 
A  cloud,  instead,  and  silence,  that  of  dread 
And  fear. 

He  lies  there  with  his  lips   apart, 

And  over  his  warm  breast,  his  little  hands 

Are  meekly  folded.     He  is  very  ill! 

It  seems  so  strange  to  see  our  pet  so  weak 

And  helpless  lie,  and  we  as  helpless,  quite, 

As  he,  before  the  power  of  dread  disease. 

May  God  have  mercy  on  us  in  our  day 

Of  utmost  need! 

No   "Merry   Christmas"   greets 
Our  ears  to-day ;  no  little  stockings  filled 
From  top  to  toe;  no  joyous  prattle  o'er 
The  gifts  of  Santa  Glaus.     His  Christmas  tree 
And  lovely  gifts  are  put  away  from  sight. 
He  there  unconscious  lies.     He  does  not  know 
The  Christ-child  waiting  stands  to  lead  him  home  \ 
Oh,  God,  be  merciful  unto  our  child! 

Our  baby!     Our  sweet  child,  to  lie  like  this! 

The  room  is  silent  as  the  grave!     It  is 

A  grave,  for  all  our  sweetest  hopes  end  here ! 

He  lies  so  quiet,  now,  and  in  his  hand 

Some  one  has  placed  a  rose.     His  eyes  are  closed 

Forevermore!     His  lovely  hands  are  clasped 

To  nevermore  unfold!     His   feet,  "so  tired," 

"My  feet  are  tired,  mamma,"  he  would  say 

When  first  we  noticed  he  was  feeling  ill, 


DEAR  BABY  RALPH  169 

Are  now  at  rest !     How  still  he  is !     And  yet 
How  beautiful!     How  can  we  put  away 
This  lovely  form?     O  God,  be  merciful! 

Our  darling  is  not  dead,  nor  e'en  asleep ! 
But  up  the  golden  stairs  he  softly  climbs 
To  enter  heaven  with  shouts  of  childish  glee, 
While  all  the  angels  welcome  him  with  joy! 
And  on  his  breast  the  Shepherd  mild  will  hold 
Our  lovely  child! 

Bowed  down,  grief-stricken,  sad 
Are  we  as  only  those  can  be  who  feel 
No  more  the  little  arms  clasped  tightly,  with 
"I  want  to  hug  'ou,  mamma  dear,"  "I  want 
To  kiss  'ou,  papa !"     "Can  'ittle  Ralphie 
Help  'ou,  papa?     Or  help  'ou,  mamma  dear?" 
And  all  the  many  baby  words  and  ways 
So  sweet,  so  tenderly  remembered  now. 
He  flowers  dearly  loved.     The  first  thing  which 
Within  the  room  he  noticed  as  a  babe, 
A  pansy  picture,  hanging  on  the  wall. 
For  many  days,  with  his  first  baby  words 
Which  none  could  understand  except,  perhaps, 
The  angels  watching  him,  he  told  his  love 
To  those  sweet  pansies,  bright  and  beautiful. 
The  last  thing  that  he  noticed,  ere  all  sense 
Of  what  was  passing  in  the  room  was  gone, 
Was  a  bouquet  of  flowers  some  one  brought; 
And  after  smelling  them,  and  holding  them 
Until  the  flowers  began  to  droop  upon 


170   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

Their  stems,  and  he  was  tired,  too,  he  said, 
"Oh,  mamma,  see!     My  dear  sweet  flowers  are  all 
Bwoke  down !     Some  water,  give  them,  please,  to 

keep 
Them  nice  and  fwesh!" 

Broke  down  is  our  sweet  flower 
In  all  its  beauty  rare,  and  put  away 
From  sight ;  but  when  the  promised  comfort  comes 
To  us  who  mourn,  then  shall  we  know  our  flower 
To  be  transplanted  to  a  balmier  clime, 
Where  angels  tend  the  flowers,  and  where  the  Lord 
Is  the  good  gardener,  through  the  eternal  years ! 
We  know  that  he  with  Jesus  is,  and  safe ! 
That  now  no  sin  can  e'er  defile  our  child. 
Through  all  the  lonely  years  I'll  hear  him  call, 
"I'm  watching  for  you,  mamma  dear,  come  up 
To  heaven  wiv  me!"     A  radiant  little  one, 
He  shines  in  holier  beauty  now,  baptized 
With  immortality ! 

Oh,  mothers,  could 

You  know  what  'tis  to  lose  a  lovely  child, 
To  have  him  go  and  leave  you  desolate, 
However  loudly  you  may  call,  to  hear 
No  answer  but  the  beating  of  your  heart 
So  bitterly  bereaved,  I'm  very  sure 
You  would  be  careful  of  your  words,  and  strive 
To  exercise  the  patience  God  will  give 
To  every  mother  toward  the  sweetest  gift 
He  ever  gives!     Be  good,  be  good!     That  when 


DEAR  BABY  RALPH  171 

Your  children  speak  of  you  in  after  years, 
They'll  say,  "I  never  heard  my  mother  speak 
An  angry,  or  impatient  word!"     That  when 
One  goes  where  only  loving  words  are  heard, 
You  will  not  feel  like  falling  on  your  knees 
To  ask  forgiveness  of  your  angel  child ! 
Be  good,  be  good !     And  follow  Christ,  your  Lord ! 
Then  when  you  too  are  called  to  pass  that  way, 
You'll  find  your  child,  and  know  him  still  to  be 
Your  own  forevermore! 


XXIII 
HOME,  SWEET  HOME 

Nearly  all  written  romances  and  scenes  enacted 
upon  the  stage  end  with  the  declaration  of  love, 
and  the  ecstasy  of  that  supreme  moment  when 
the  lover  knows  that  he  is  beloved.  It  is,  as  it 
were,  the  happy  consummation  of  all  things,  the 
summit  of  bliss.  It  is  as  if  all  that  is  interesting 
in  life,  all  beauty,  all  romance,  ended  with  be- 
trothal, when  in  reality,  this  is  but  the  beginning 
of  a  life-long,  tender,  worshipful  affection,  of  a 
romance  more  thrilling,  more  pathetic,  more 
tragic,  and  at  the  same  time  more  joy-giving  than 
any  drama  or  story  of  love  which  was  ever  writ- 
ten. The  strong,  pure  love  of  a  good  man  for 
the  one  woman  of  his  choice,  is  a  thing  so  noble, 
so  high,  so  deep,  words  cannot  express  the  won- 
der of  it.  The  pure,  sweet,  unselfish  devotion  of 
a  true,  womanly  woman,  is  a  prize  the  value  of 
which  can  never  be  estimated. 

God  joins  men  and  women  together  in  the  bonds 
of  undying  love,  love  which  cannot  be  measured, 
love  which  is  kind  and  suffereth  long,  love  which 
is  strong  and  endureth  all  things,  love  which  is 
born  of  Him,  whose  name  is  Love.  Joined  to  her 

husband  in  this  manner,  the  wife  is  content  to  be 
172 


HOME,     SWEET  HOME  173 

where  he  is,  and  no  trial  is  so  great  as  separation 
from  him.  The  very  ground  where  he  treads  is 
precious  to  her.  Everything  that  he  touches  is 
transfigured.  In  this  true  love  union,  she  is  all 
in  all  to  her  husband.  She  is  the  queen  of  his 
home  to  whom  he  bows  down  in  worshipful  defer- 
ence. 

True  love  is  the  strongest  earthly  thing.  It 
takes  possession  of  the  whole  being.  It  pervades 
the  innermost  recesses  of  the  heart  like  incense. 
It  purifies,  ennobles,  and  transfigures  the  life.  If 
no  cloud  of  mistrust  or  jealousy  be  permitted  to 
overshadow  it,  then,  indeed,  is  the  home  a  heaven 
on  earth. 

But  love  is  not  all  that  is  necessary  to  secure 
happiness  in  the  home.  Love  is  sometimes  exact- 
ing, and  jealous  without  cause.  There  are  dis- 
agreements, thoughtless  words,  too  much  teasing, 
too  much  self-assertion  and  self-will,  and  other 
human  failings  not  even  dreamed  of  in  the  days 
of  betrothal.  Cares  are  heavy,  and  nerves  are 
overtaxed.  Hasty  words  are  spoken  thought- 
lessly, and  wounds  inflicted  unintentionally.  The 
friction  of  life  is  severe,  and  self-control  gives  way 
under  its  influence.  There  is  too  much  liberty  of 
unkind  speech,  something  which  sounds  much  like 
fault-finding,  and  the  day  is  spoiled.  By  a  little 
care  and  forethought,  husband  and  wife  need  never 
spoil  the  day,  but  they  may  always  part  with  a 
cheery  word  and  a  pleasant  good-by,  when  the 
husband  goes  to  his  business  in  the  morning,  and 


174   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

they  may  both  feel  the  uplifting  influence  of  such 
words  all  the  day  long,  and  have  no  bitter  regrets 
should  they  find  the  night  too  late  to  undo  the 
work  of  the  morn. 

"If  I  had  known  in  the  morning 
How  wearily  all  the  day 
The  words  unkind 
Would  trouble  my  mind, 
I  said  when  you  went  away, 
I  had  been  more  careful,  darling, 

Nor  given  you  needless  pain; 
But  we  vex  our  own 
With  look  and  tone 

We  might  never  take  back  again. 

"For  though  in  the  quiet  evening 
You  may  give  me  the  kiss  of  peace, 
Yet  it  might  be 
That  never  for  me 
The  pain  of  the  heart  should  cease. 
How  many  go  forth  in  the  morning 

That  never  come  home  at  night, 
And  hearts  have  broken 
For  harsh  words  spoken 

That  sorrow  can  never  set  right. 


"We  have  careful  thoughts  for  the  stranger, 
And  smiles  for  the  sometime  guest, 

But  oft  for  our  own 

The  bitter  tone, 
Though  we  love  our  own  the  best. 


HOME,  SWEET  HOME  175 

Ah !  lips  with  the  curve  impatient, 
Ah !  brow  with  that  look  of  scorn, 

'Twere  a  cruel  fate, 

Were  the  night  too  late 
To  undo  the  work  of  the  morn!" 

Next  to  the  desire  to  serve  God  perfectly,  a 
man's  purest  ambition  is  to  have  a  home,  a  loving 
wife,  and  dutiful  children.  Without  a  home  a 
man  is  adrift  in  the  world,  and  he  never  knows 
whither  the  rough  and  variable  winds  of  fortune 
will  carry  him.  A  home  is  to  him  a  haven  of  rest, 
a  city  of  refuge,  a  sanctuary,  a  place  where  love 
reigns.  Safe  from  all  intruders,  from  all  greed 
of  gain,  from  all  forms  of  selfishness  and  the 
unjust  judgments  of  men,  he  is  understood,  ap- 
preciated, beloved.  He  is  at  home. 

To  a  woman  it  is  a  joy  and  highest  honor  to 
be  queen-wife  and  queen-mother  in  her  own  do- 
main. "Her  children  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed ; 
her  husband  also,  and  he  praiseth  her."  There 
is  nothing  in  life  that  brings  more  joy  than  a 
happy  home.  But  while  we  surround  it  with 
beauty  and  poetry,  and  loving  tenderness,  we 
must  not  forget  that  we  have  something  to  do  to 
create  such  a  home.  There  is  no  relation  more 
tenderly  watched  over  by  our  Heavenly  Father 
than  the  home  relation,  but  he  does  not  interfere 
with  our  arrangements  by  any  supernatural 
power.  It  is  for  the  husband  and  wife  to  de- 
termine whether  or  not  their  home  shall  be  to 


176   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

them  and  to  their  children  all  that  a  home  can  be. 

In  the  first  place,  the  marriage  relation  should 
not  be  entered  into  for  any  reason  but  that  of 
enduring  love.  No  one  should  be  so  ignorant  of 
what  marriage  means  as  to  hazard  his  life-long 
happiness  by  a  loveless  marriage;  the  relation  is 
too  close,  too  sacred  to  admit  of  any  reason  for 
entering  into  it  exclusive  of  this  one;  the  dis- 
cipline too  unlike  anything  he  has  experienced 
for  him  to  pass  through  it  unscathed,  unless  love 
is  the  scepter  wielded  in  the  home.  Even  then 
there  are  likely  to  be  many  misunderstandings 
and  many  hours  of  unhappiness  before  the  two, 
unlike  in  temperament,  with  opinions  which  clash 
perhaps,  and  habits  formed  which  they  do  not  like 
to  renounce,  can  live  together  in  harmony. 

Many  persons  expect  the  first  years  of  mar- 
riage to  be  the  happiest ;  and  if  they  are  disap- 
pointed, as  they  are  almost  sure  to  be,  they  think 
that  they  have  made  a  life-long  mistake.  They 
do  not  know  that  at  first  they  are  one  only  in 
sight  of  the  law,  and  that  it  may  require  time 
to  make  them  one  in  reality,  unless  they  begin 
their  united  life  in  a  different  manner  from  that 
which  is  usual.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  in  many 
instances,  husband  and  wife  are  not  together  three 
days  before  unkind  or  unwise  words  have  been 
spoken  about  something  of  little  consequence. 
"I  am  right  and  you  are  wrong,"  "My  way  is 
better,  and  you  must  conform  to  it,"  is  the  way  in 
which  they  begin,  almost  unconsciously,  a  life 


HOME,  SWEET  HOME  177 

which  they  thought  would  be  bliss  itself.  There 
are  many  differences  of  taste  and  opinion  of  which 
they  did  not  think  before  marriage,  and  they  are 
surprised  to  find  that  they  are  so  unlike  each 
other.  By  reason  of  these  differences  they  be- 
gin to  go  asunder,  instead  of  becoming  more 
closely  united. 

They  expect  everything  to  adjust  itself  beau- 
tifully, without  especial  effort  on  their  part. 
They  think  they  love  each  other  too  well  to  have 
even  a  shadow  come  between  them.  They  do  not 
realize  how  easy  it  is  to  be  selfish,  or  how  im- 
perceptibly the  shadows  fall.  Neither  have  they 
any  idea,  until  they  have  lived  together  a  year 
or  two,  how  many  things  must  be  yielded  on  the 
part  of  both,  or  compromised  between  them;  nor 
how  important  it  is  that  each  one  should  be  al- 
lowed individuality  in  character  and  life.  It  is 
by  no  means  necessary  that  husband  and  wife 
should  be  alike;  on  the  contrary,  they  should  be 
unlike,  that  what  is  wanting  in  one  may  be  pos- 
sessed by  the  other,  that  the  two  may  make  a 
perfect  whole.  If  they  but  knew  these  things, 
they  would  study  from  the  hour  of  marriage  to 
be  thoughtful  and  unselfish,  and  so  avoid  many 
mistakes  and  regrets. 

It  is  better  to  begin  by  making  love  a  practical 
thing,  than  to  regard  it  as  a  mere  sentiment. 
Practical  love  bears  and  forbears,  and  covers  a 
multitude  of  faults.  It  is  patient  and  reasonable, 
and  is  never  oftener  called  upon  to  exercise  its 


178   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

graces  than  in  the  first  years  of  married  life. 
Why  not  accept  the  fact,  and  act  in  accordance 
with  it?  This  is  the  only  way  to  realize  the  hap- 
piness anticipated.  Even  then  the  first  years  are 
only  the  beginning  of  a  growing  fitness  for  each 
other,  followed  by  a  more  enduring  love,  and  an 
ever  increasing  joy,  so  that  the  last  years  are  the 
best. 

Nothing  is  so  much  needed  in  the  home  as  a 
careful  deference  to  each  other's  wishes ;  but  this 
must  be  mutual.  Too  much  generosity  on  one 
hand  encourages  selfishness  on  the  other ;  too  much 
yielding  by  one,  a  sort  of  tyranny  from  the  other ; 
so  that  the  only  safe  way  is  for  each  to  try  to 
outdo  the  other  in  little  acts  of  kindness.  It  is 
not  enough  to  love  each  other  secretly ;  show  your 
love !  Be  lovers  always !  Many  and  many  a 
woman,  many  a  man  is  starving  at  heart  for  ex- 
pressions of  affection,  for  the  acknowledged  ap- 
preciation of  their  worth,  of  their  efforts  to  rise 
in  the  world,  of  their  daily  self-sacrifice. 

If  love  and  the  expression  of  it  be  necessary 
when  all  goes  well  in  the  home,  how  much  more 
so  when  trouble  comes,  when  the  children  are  ill, 
when  worries  overwhelm,  when  misfortune  is  at 
hand,  when  death  breaks  into  the  family  circle, 
Then  ought  the  love-light  in  the  eyes  to  shine 
brighter  and  clearer,  and  in  the  strength  of  noble 
manhood  and  noble  womanhood  and  strong  faith 
in  God,  hand  in  hand,  and  heart  in  heart,  they 
will  bravely  meet  whatever  trial  is  theirs  to  bear. 


HOME,  SWEET  HOME  179 

There  are  men  who  love  their  wives  devotedly, 
but  who  never  by  word  or  sign  express  their  af- 
fection. Some  women  are  equally  reticent  and 
it  is  hard  to  believe  that  they  really  do  love  and 
appreciate  their  husbands.  Love  and  apprecia- 
tion should  be  openly  expressed.  They  are  for 
common  use,  and  should  not  be  withheld  from 
common  life.  If  marriage  vows  were  kept,  if 
there  were  good  common  sense  and  fair  dealing 
in  the  home,  as  well  as  love,  how  happy  every 
one  would  be !  But  alas !  Many  husbands  and 
wives  are  not  in  love  with  each  other;  they  are 
not  one  in  heart  and  life,  for  there  are  separate 
interests ;  the  husband  is  going  one  way,  the  wife 
another.  There  are  estrangements,  separations, 
divorces,  destruction  of  pure,  sweet,  family  life, 
disorder  in  the  best  place  on  earth  in  which  to 
sow  the  seeds  of  honesty,  love  and  patriotism. 
"To  have  and  to  hold,  to  love  and  to  cherish  till 
death  do  us  part,"  words  full  of  heavenly  mean- 
ing, have  lost  their  solemnity,  their  sanctity,  their 
imperative  obligation.  Ought  not  these  words  to 
be  changed  to  something  like  this :  "To  have 
and  to  hold  until  the  courts  do  us  part?" 

Oh,  what  happiness  can  there  be  in  marriage 
without  confidence,  without  absolute  surety  that 
the  husband  and  wife  are  all  in  all  to  each  other, 
and  nothing  whatever  to  any  other  man  or  woman? 
Without  confidence  that  all  expressions  of  affec- 
tion which  belong  especially  to  the  home,  find  place 
nowhere  else  ?  Oh,  men,  Oh,  women !  What  of  your 


180   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

home?  What  of  your  fidelity?  Are  you  living 
the  truth,  or  living  a  lie? 

A  man  may  love  his  wife  devotedly,  and  yet 
torture  her  to  death  by  a  slow  process.  Thomas 
Carlyle  adored  his  Jane,  but  how  he  treated 
her!  Bringing  her  no  mete  of  sympathy  or 
praise,  and  crowning  her  with  laurel  only  when 
her  hands  were  folded  meekly  over  her  breast, 
and  the  birds  were  singing  over  her  grave.  If  he 
had  said  to  her  what  he  said  about  her,  when  she 
could  no  longer  hear  his  voice,  what  a  marvelously 
different  life  hers  would  have  been ! 

The  author  of  "A  Window  in  Thrums" 
says: 

"I  myself  have  known  a  woman  so  good,  matched 
to  a  man  so  selfish,  that  I  cannot  think  of  her  even 
now,  quietly.  Hers  was  the  tragedy  of  living  on, 
more  mournful  than  the  tragedy  that  kills;  but  it  did 
kill  her,  at  last;  and  her  husband,  when  he  no  longer 
had  a  wife  to  ill-treat,  went  about  whining  that  she 
was  an  angel!" 

The  continued  nagging  which  some  men,  and 
oh,  the  pity  of  it !  some  women  too,  practice  in  their 
homes,  is  terrible !  The  fruit  of  much  sowing  is 
bitter  indeed,  and  is  likely  to  grow  into  an 
estrangement  which  no  afterthought,  or  careful- 
ness or  regret  can  ever  overcome.  Love  wounded  is 
slow  to  heal.  Love  with  which  fault  is  continually 
found,  will  slowly  bleed  to  death.  "Oh,  Love, 
how  red  thy  heart  is  and  thy  hands  are  full  of 


HOME,  SWEET  HOME  181 

roses!"  But  the  roses  will  drop  from  palsied 
hands,  and,  soon  or  late,  the  heart  will  fail,  a  sac- 
rifice upon  Love's  altar! 

Not  many  years  ago  at  the  marriage  ceremony, 
a  wife  was  obliged  to  promise  to  obey  her  hus- 
band. A  certain  woman  declared  that  she  would 
never  make  that  promise.  The  minister  who  was 
to  marry  her  was  told  her  intention,  and  was  de- 
termined to  require  her  to  make  the  usual  prom- 
ises. In  repeating  the  words  of  the  service  after 
him,  when  she  reached  the  word  "obey,"  she  was 
seized  with  violent  coughing.  The  minister  pa- 
tiently waited,  saying,  "We  will  try  again."  So 
he  began  at  the  beginning.  The  second  time,  the 
coughing  was  more  violent  than  before.  "Never 
mind,"  he  said,  "do  not  feel  embarrassed,  we  will 
wait  a  few  minutes,  and  try  again."  Then  some 
one  brought  her  a  glass  of  water,  and  they  tried 
again,  with  the  same  result.  Then  the  minister 
declared  it  to  be  useless  to  try  the  fourth  time, 
and  that  he  would  postpone  the  marriage.  "Oh, 
no,  no !"  she  cried.  "Try  again !"  And  this  time 
she  fairly  screamed  the  word  "obey." 

In  these  days  we  marry  with,  or  without  prom- 
ising obedience.  It  makes  no  difference.  No 
woman  now-a-days  is  expected  to  be  subservient 
to  her  husband,  and  that  is  right.  An  old  Quaker 
lady  gave  a  well  known  preacher  the  following 
advice:  "Robert,  when  thee  performs  the  mar- 
riage ceremony,  thee  should  not  make  the  wife 
promise  to  obey  the  husband,  unless  thee  also 


182   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

make  the  husband  promise  to  obey  the  wife ;  for 
they  should  be  equal." 

"Not  like  to  like,  but  like  in  difference ; 
Yet  in  long  years  liker  must  they  grow; 
The  man  be  more  of  woman,  she  of  man, 
Till  at  the  last  she  set  herself  to  man, 
Like  perfect  music  unto  noble  words. 
Either  sex  alone, 

Is  half  itself;  and  in  true  marriage  lies 
Nor  equal  nor  unequal;  each  fulfills 
Defect  in  each,  and  always  thought  in  thought, 
Purpose  in  purpose,  will  in  will  they  grow, 
The  two-celled  heart  beating  with  one  full  stroke, 
Life!" 

Spurgeon  settled  the  vexed  question  of  con- 
jugal obedience  in  an  address  at  the  marriage 
of  the  daughter  of  a  friend,  when  he  spoke  to  the 
bride  about  her  future  lord:  "Let  him  be  the 
head,  and  do  you  be  the  neck  to  turn  him  which 
way  you  please." 

While  you  are  not  expected  to  obey  your  hus- 
band, let  your  first  thought  be  for  his  happiness ; 
not  in  a  servile  way,  because  he  demands  it,  but 
because  he  is  more  to  you  than  all  the  world  be- 
sides. Let  interests  outside  your  home  be  sec- 
ondary ;  home  first,  always.  That  is  your  prov- 
ince. It  rests  largely  with  you  to  make  it  a 
happy  home.  On  the  part  of  the  husband  also, 
there  is  much  required  that  every  thing  may  go 
on  happily.  If  your  wife  does  not,  at  first,  meet 


HOME,  SWEET  HOME  183 

your  expectations  in  every  particular,  do  not  begin 
at  once  to  try  to  make  her  over  according  to  your 
own  model.  Be  patient  with  her.  You  have  not 
married  a  woman  of  experience.  However  ex- 
cellent her  training  may  have  been,  she  is  in  a 
position  altogether  new  and  strange,  and  which 
demands  much  of  which  she  has  hitherto  known 
nothing. 

Share  with  each  other  your  burdens  and  per- 
plexities. It  will  make  them  easier  to  bear,  and 
strengthen  and  purify  your  love.  Do  not  allow 
selfishness  in  any  form  to  enter  your  home. 
Teach  the  children  early  to  seek  the  happiness  of 
others  before  their  own.  With  all  the  members  of 
the  household  obeying  the  law  of  love,  how  happy 
will  be  the  home,  and  how  pure  and  strong  its  ties. 
Let  the  family  altar  be  erected  early,  that  the 
blessing  of  God  may  rest  upon  the  daily  life. 
"Except  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they  labor  in 
vain  that  build  it;  except  the  Lord  keep  the  city, 
the  watchman  waketh  but  in  vain." 

All  this  may  seem  prosy  and  commonplace,  es- 
pecially to  the  young ;  but  why  not  look  at  things 
as  they  are?  Much  of  the  unhappiness  in  homes 
comes  from  false  estimates.  That  any  discordant 
note  should  enter  into  the  harmony  of  two  souls 
whose  bliss  is  heaven  itself,  cannot  be  thought  of 
for  a  moment.  But  life  is  not  all  sentiment ;  we 
have  the  material  with  which  to  deal;  and  while 
we  need  all  the  poetry,  all  the  romance,  all  the 
philosophy  we  can  command,  we  need  far  more 


184   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

the  grace  of  God  in  the  heart  to  fortify  us  against 
the  surprises  and  disappointments  that  are  sure 
to  come  at  first,  to  be  followed  by  a  better  under- 
standing of  each  other,  and  a  purer  love  which 
will  bear  and  forbear  with  sweetness  and  patience 
"till  death  do  us  part." 

Some  women  think  that  they  are  not  accomplish- 
ing anything  worthy  of  commendation  unless  they 
are  able  to  do  something  for  the  world  outside 
their  homes.  What  better  can  they  do  for  the 
world  than  to  train  a  family  for  usefulness?  It 
is  enough  for  one  woman  to  make  a  happy  home, 
and  to  lead  her  children  in  ways  of  righteousness 
and  truth;  and  to  no  one  will  there  be  a  heartier 
welcome  at  heavens  gates  than  to  the  faithful 
wife  and  mother. 

A  bankrupt  merchant  went  home  one  night  and 
said  to  his  wife,  "We  are  ruined!  Everything 
we  had  in  the  world  is  in  the  hands  of  the  sheriff !" 
After  a  few  moments  of  silence  his  noble  wife 
asked,  "Will  he  sell  you?  Will  he  sell  .me?" 
"Oh,  no !"  "Then  don't  say  we  have  lost  every- 
thing. All  that  is  most  profitable  to  us,  man- 
hood and  womanhood,  remains.  We  have  lost  but 
the  skill  and  industry  of  our  hands.  We  may 
make  another  fortune,  if  our  hearts  and  hands  are 
left  to  us."  How  much  better  thus  to  have  been 
a  helpmate  and  true  comrade  to  her  husband  than 
to  have  weakly  bewailed  their  misfortune,  or  to 
have  found  fault  with  his  management  of  his 
business.  Many  women  would  have  whined  and 


HOME,  SWEET  HOME  185 

fretted  and  found  fault,  making  it  all  the  harder 
for  the  husband,  and  for  herself  as  well.  Fault- 
finding is  a  cruel  thing  under  all  circumstances. 
It  is  a  slow  poison  which  ruins  the  life  of  many 
a  woman,  many  a  man.  It  is  so  easy  to  wound. 
The  tongue  is  an  unruly  member;  once  let  loose 
it  goes  on  and  on,  and  before  you  know  it,  you 
have  said  something  you  might  better  not  have 
said,  you  have  wounded  your  best  friend,  you  have 
dropped  a  match  into  the  inflammable  materials 
upon  which  your  happiness  is  built.  It  is  the 
little  foxes,  which  are  hardly  worth  noticing,  that 
eat  up  the  vines.  Abraham  Lincoln  said:  "I  al- 
ways pull  up  a  thistle  and  plant  a  flower  wherever 
a  flower  will  grow."  That  is  what  is  needed  in 
the  home ;  thistles  pulled  up,  and  flowers  planted. 
Many  men  and  women  have  much  for  which  to 
answer  for  the  way  in  which  they  desecrate  their 
homes,  and  bring  disfavor  and  reproach  upon  the 
most  sacred  of  all  relations.  Is  sweet  home  life 
no  longer  common?  Has  falling  in  love  with  an- 
other woman's  husband,  or  another  man's  wife 
become  so  frequent  that  it  has  lost  half  its  shame? 
Is  there  no  longer  the  laying  down  of  selfishness, 
the  sacrificial  offering  upon  Love's  altar?  Or 
have  we  instead,  sacrilege,  profanation,  the  break- 
ing of  holy  vows,  the  sundering  of  what  ought  to 
be  strong  marital  ties  ?  Thank  God  !  There  are 
many  true  husbands,  and  true  wives,  and  happy 
homes,  and  these  must  be  the  leaven  which  will 
leaven  the  whole  lump,  these  must  be  a  light  set 


186   HERE  AND  THERE  A  LEAF 

upon  a  hill  which  cannot  be  hid,  a  beacon  light 
warning  all  against  the  dangerous  shoals,  the  hid- 
den rocks  which  threaten  destruction. 

An  estrangement  between  husband  and  wife 
usually  begins  with  a  trifling  thing,  which  might 
easily  be  settled  in  the  beginning  by  the  use  of  a  lit- 
tle common  sense  and  forbearance.  Be  frank  with 
each  other.  Speak  out !  Do  not  brood  over  things 
which  are  likely  to  be  imaginary.  Let  there  be 
no  reservations.  The  most  important  thing  is  to 
take  God  into  your  counsels.  Harmony  cannot 
reign  where  God  is  not ;  where  he  is  not  present, 
evil  will  press  in.  The  nearer  you  get  to  God  in 
your  home,  the  nearer  you  will  get  to  each  other. 
If  there  ever  be  a  time  when  you  need  to  call 
mightily  on  God  for  help,  it  is  when  you  are 
tempted  to  be  unfaithful  in  word  or  look,  thought 
or  deed,  to  your  marriage  vows.  Love's  hands 
are  full  of  roses,  but  beware  of  the  thorns  which 
pierce  and  poison  the  heart's  life. 

Young  men  and  young  women,  do  not  be  in 
haste  to  marry.  Better,  a  thousand  times,  never 
to  marry  at  all,  than  to  have  reason  for  regret- 
ting entering  into  the  bonds  of  matrimony.  Do 
not  think  it  a  small  thing  to  enter  into  this  sacred 
relation.  It  is  a  most  serious  one ;  its  obligations 
are  heavy,  and  far-reaching;  its  consequences,  a 
lifetime  of  happines  or  misery.  Young  people 
often  speak  of  marriage  as  if  it  were  the  most 
ordinary  thing  in  the  world.  "We  will  try  it," 
they  say,  "and  if  we  are  not  happy  together,  we 


HOME,  SWEET  HOME  187 

will  get  a  divorce."  Be  not  so  unwise.  Weigh 
well  the  matter,  and  marry  for  life,  and  live  in 
love,  every  day,  common  sense  love. 

"Life  is  too  short,  the  pain  of  life  too  keen 
To  hold  our  love  too  fine  for  common  use. 
The  sunlight  falls  alike  on  lofty  oak 
And  on  the  modest  grass-blade  at  its  foot; 

"And  so  our  love  is  meant  for  daily  use, 
To  lighten  common  cares  and  brighten  life, 
And  not  to  be  reserved  for  eulogy, 
Or  epitaph  upon  a  monument. 

"Give  while  you  may,  and  not  withhold  your  love 
From  dearest  and  most  faithful  friend  on  earth 
Till  you  are  forced  to  say  with  bleeding  heart, 
'Too  late,  too  late !  I  bring  my  gift  too  late !'  " 


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FEB    26  1934 

FE3  2  7  1934 

' 

LI)  21-100m-7,'33 

304130 


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